Politics
Sunak’s Silence on Betting Scandal Raises Eyebrows as Police Investigation Intensifies Days Before Election
Rishi Sunak's visible irritation regarding the betting scandal is quite telling. The prime minister's hesitance to disclose further information about his discussions with dismissed Conservative candidate and close advisor Craig Williams was very revealing.
Assistant political editor @SamCoatesSky
Thursday, June 27, 2024, at 11
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The Metropolitan Police has been compelled, albeit unwillingly, to initiate investigations into candidates with just a week remaining until the election.
As recently as a day prior, Scotland Yard had intended to handle the matter internally, focusing solely on the officers investigated by the Gambling Commission.
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As time has progressed, the situation has grown increasingly complicated and has now extended beyond the jurisdiction of the Gambling Commission.
Authorities have come to recognize that it's crucial to investigate if certain candidates have potentially violated laws related to misconduct in public office.
This matter has surpassed the authority of the Gambling Commission, which initiated the investigation, and has now been handed over to the police.
This suggests that predominantly Conservative party candidates, such as the prime minister's top advisor, could potentially face interviews under caution, possibly even before the upcoming election day.
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Rishi Sunak appeared visibly irritated during today's interview with the broadcast pool when the topic was brought up.
His hesitation to provide further information about his discussions with Craig Williams, his intermediary with a contentious and unruly group of parliament members, was quite telling.
The prime. minister will maintain that he has received advice from the Gambling Commission to refrain from commenting, and that as the Prime Minister, making statements on police investigations could potentially compromise their autonomy in operations.
Despite instructions from the Gambling Commission to remain silent regarding the investigation, Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Party went public about the probe involving one of their candidates.
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There has been no verification of an ongoing police inquiry directly involving Mr. Williams.
As the election approaches in just a week, residents of his previous Montgomeryshire district might believe they deserve to be fully informed before they cast their votes.
Following Mr. Sunak's successful performance in Wednesday's debate, the ongoing fallout from the gambling scandal is overshadowing what might be his last days in office.
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