Misgivings about people close to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak playing money on the date of the British election continue to shake British politics. Now, the campaign chief for the governing Conservative Party has stepped aside after being investigated for a crime.
Campaign chief Tony Lee is being investigated for allegedly playing money on the date of the election, reports BBC. It has previously been known that one of Sunak's bodyguards and Conservative candidate Craig Williams, who has been close to Sunak, has been accused of the same crime.
Lee's wife, Conservative candidate Laura Saunders, is also being investigated for a crime. However, it is unclear when the betting took place or how much money the couple played.
Headache for the Tories
Rishi Sunak announced in May that the election would take place on 4 July. It is allowed to make bets on political events, such as the date of an election, but it is illegal to play with insider information.
The allegations of match-fixing give further headaches for the Conservative Party, which is lagging behind the opposition Labour Party in opinion polls and appears to be on the way to losing power after ruling the country for 14 years.
Minister Michael Gove has said that "it doesn't look good", although he could not comment on any details.
"Corruption stinks"
Labour leader Keir Starmer, who has a good chance of becoming the next Prime Minister, is urging Sunak to withdraw his support for those accused of being involved.
He must account for exactly who knew what, says Starmer.
Labour's election strategist Pat McFadden has written to Sunak that the allegations show "a pattern of behaviour" within the Conservative Party, where people focus on making a "quick gain".
Leader of the smaller Liberal Democrats party, Ed Davey, says the allegations stink of corruption.
