Britain’s embattled Conservative Party suffered a fresh blow after its director of campaigning took a leave of absence just two weeks before the election, following reports that his wife, one of the party’s candidates, was being investigated over allegedly placing a bet on the timing of the vote.
The inquiry by Britain’s gambling regulator into Laura Saunders, who is running as Conservative candidate in Bristol North West, is the latest in a string of investigations into politically connected people who are alleged to have made bets on the timing of the country’s snap general election.
The Conservative Party said on Thursday that its director of campaigning, Tony Lee, had taken a leave of absence. The BBC reported that Ms. Saunders was being investigated by the Gambling Commission, which oversees the industry in the U.K., and later updated its story to say that Mr. Lee was also facing a similar inquiry.
Neither Ms. Saunders or Mr. Lee have yet responded to requests for comment on the allegations.
Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, called for Ms. Saunders’ suspension as a Conservative Party candidate. “If it was one of my candidates they’d be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor,” he said.
The episode is the latest setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s faltering efforts to stay in Downing Street after he surprised the country last month by calling a general election for July 4.
The furor over betting risks damaging the party’s reputation because of the impression it could give that some Conservatives might profit personally from their political knowledge at a time when many Britons face a squeeze on living costs.
Michael Gove, a senior Conservative cabinet minister, said that investigations should be allowed to follow their course but told ITV News: “If they knew — and they are being investigated, we don’t know the conclusions yet — but if someone had inside information and they used that to place a bet that … that’s bad.”
Last week Craig Williams, a Conservative lawmaker and parliamentary aide to Mr. Sunak, apologized for placing a bet on the timing of the election before the date of July 4 was officially announced.
“I put a flutter on the general election some weeks ago,” Mr. Williams, who is running for re-election, wrote on social media (a flutter is a small bet). He noted that the Gambling Commission was making inquiries. “I confirm I will fully cooperate with these,” he said. “I don’t want it to be a distraction from the campaign. I should have thought through how it looks.”
On Wednesday, the police announced that a protection officer working for Mr. Sunak had been arrested over allegations that he had also made bets on the timing of the election.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police, the force that covers London, said the officer had been removed from operational duties and had been arrested on Monday “on suspicion of misconduct in public office.” The force added that the officer, who was not identified by name, was free on bail “pending further enquiries.”
Under British election rules, Mr. Sunak had the power to decide the date of the general election, providing that he chose a time before late January next year. The prime minister had said on several occasions that he expected the election to take place in the second half of the year.
Most political analysts believed that Mr. Sunak would wait until the fall before facing the voters to give the economy more time to revive and to give him time to try to start implementing his flagship immigration policy of sending some asylum seekers on one-way flights to Rwanda.
In the statement on the latest case, the Metropolitan Police said that it had been contacted last Friday by the Gambling Commission about claims that an officer from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command had placed a bet.
The command is part of the Metropolitan Police, and its members — who often work in proximity to the prime minister and to the royal family — are required to maintain discretion.
The Met said that it had referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which oversees the complaints system in England and Wales and investigates the most serious matters relating to officers’ behavior.
The Gambling Commission said it was “investigating the possibility of offenses concerning the date of the election,” adding in a statement: “We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”
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