A Cabinet Minister who was accused of claiming to have won more than £2,000 betting on a July general election has insisted his comment was meant as a "joke".
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, who is not standing in his Dumfries & Galloway constituency, supposedly told the BBC that he made £2,100 after betting on June and July election dates.
He later told the broadcaster that he had not placed any bets on the general election date “in May”.
Sunak, who called the election on May 22, is facing a growing betting scandal as five Tory figures were accused of putting money down for suspicious bets.
In a statement, Jack said: “I am very clear that I have never, on any occasion, broken any Gambling Commission rules.
"Specifically, I did not place any bets on the date of the General Election during May (the period under investigation by the Gambling Commission).
“Furthermore, I am not aware of any family or friends placing bets.”
A spokesperson for the Gambling Commission also told the BBC: “We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”
The King’s Principal Private Secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, has been seated next to Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, during tonight’s State Banquet at Buckingham Palace.
Sir Clive is responsible for maintaining an open line of communication between the King and his Government.
Reform UK has taken a knock in the polls after Nigel Farage made a series of remarks about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The party leader faced accusations of a “morally repugnant” repetition of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s justification for the invasion of Ukraine.
New polling from JL Partners, conducted between June 21 and June 24, saw Reform drop three points in the polls to 15 per cent support.
The Tories received a two-point boost, taking them to 25 per cent support. Meanwhile, Labour gained one point taking the party to 41 per cent support.
This came after Farage said on Friday: "If you poke the Russian bear with a stick, don't be surprised if he responds."
Former PM Boris Johnson hit out at the remarks, saying: "This is nauseating ahistorical drivel and more Kremlin propaganda. Nobody provoked Putin. Nobody 'poked the bear with a stick'. The people of Ukraine voted overwhelmingly in 1991 to be a sovereign and independent country. They were perfectly entitled to seek both Nato and EU membership.
"There is only one person responsible for Russian aggression against Ukraine – both in 2014 and 2022 – and that is Putin. To try to spread the blame is morally repugnant and parroting Putin's lies."
Farage hit back at Johnson, saying: “Boris, you are a liar and a hypocrite. I am glad you are no longer Prime Minister of this country.”
In his post on social media, he included two newspaper articles from 2016 and 2022 headlined “Boris blames EU for war in Ukraine” and “Boris Johnson blamed EU for Russia’s 2014 attacks on Ukraine and was branded ‘Putin apologist".The survey spoke to 2,005 people between June 21 and 24.
A fifth Tory politician has been embroiled in the Conservative Party's betting scandal for allegedly putting money on the general election date.
The Gambling Commission informed Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh Parliament who represents the same constituency as Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide Craig Williams, that he is part of its inquiry.
A car has crashed into the main gate of the Prime Minister's luxury country mansion Chequers.
The collision involved a white Volkswagen Scirocco which smashed through bollards before careering through the entrance of 16th century mansion Chequers.
Nigel Farage "overreacted" by blasting Boris Johnson as the ex-Prime Minister still poses a "big threat" to Reform UK, allies have told GB News.
"Farage is panicking and throwing s**t at the wall," a former Johnson aide said. "Farage overreacted and was too over-zealous."
The ex-No10 insider, who suggested ex-Home Secretary Priti Patel is the Tory leadership contender to watch, added: "Sunak and Starmer leave the UK crying out for a popular, celebrity figure.
"The only two with any cut-through or celebrity quality are Farage and Boris.
"There's only room for one. They will always be trying to outmuscle each other to take that slot."
Reform UK has taken a knock in the polls after Nigel Farage made a series of remarks about Russia's invasion of Ukraine
PA
Reform UK has taken a knock in the polls after Nigel Farage made a series of remarks about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The party leader faced accusations of a “morally repugnant” repetition of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s justification for the invasion of Ukraine.
New polling from JL Partners, conducted between June 21 and June 24, saw Reform drop three points in the polls to 15 per cent support.
The Tories received a two-point boost, taking them to 25 per cent support. Meanwhile, Labour gained one point taking the party to 41 per cent support.
This came after Farage said on Friday: "If you poke the Russian bear with a stick, don't be surprised if he responds."
The Gambling Commission has passed information to the Metropolitan Police alleging five more officers placed bets related to the timing of the General Election, the force said.
The Gambling Commission, the police and the Conservative Party are all understood to be looking into claims that several figures with links to the Tories or Number 10 placed bets on the date of the General Election shortly before Sunak announced his plans last month.
Cooper said they should have been dropped as candidates 'immediately'
PA
Reacting to the Conservative Party’s decision to withdraw support for its candidates Craig Williams and Laura Saunders, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper wrote on social media: “This should have happened immediately when these scandalous revelations emerged, but instead Rishi Sunak has dithered and delayed.
“Sunak must confirm immediately that these candidates will not have the Conservative whip if elected.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party will “mend” the prison system
PA
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party will “mend” the prison system, but acknowledged you can’t “build a prison” to cope with lack of prison spaces in the short-term.
He said: “We are going to have to deal with knife crime offenders, they need consequences for carrying a knife. And we’re going to have to mend the system when it comes to prisons.
“It’s plain common sense that nobody can build a prison in the first week of the Labour government. Get on with the problem, get on with rebuilding, not just our prisons, but our country, because almost everything now is broken under this Government.”
Asked if his government would continue “unwavering” support for Ukraine he said: “I’ve been to see President Zelensky, personally, I went to Kyiv to have a meeting to make clear to him that should there be a change of Government in this country our support for Ukraine remains the same and we will always act with our Nato allies in support.”
JK Rowling has agreed to meet with the Labour Party - but has laid out a number of conditions
PA
JK Rowling has agreed to meet with the Labour Party - but has laid out a number of conditions.
The Harry Potter author said she would only meet with the party's leadership if Angela Rayner revokes her endorsement of a charter that described two organisations, Woman’s Place and the LGB Alliance, as "hate groups".
She said: “I’ll be happy to meet after Keep Prisons Single Sex, Lesbian Labour, Women’s Rights Network, Woman’s Place and the LGB Alliance have been given in-person meetings with the Labour leadership.
“I’d also like to know whether Angela Rayner still considers the last two organisations hate groups – asking on behalf of female survivors of domestic violence and gay people who don’t subscribe to gender identity ideology.”
Labour’s Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth demanded the PM "come clean" and tell voters "exactly how many of his Conservatives are implicated"
PA
Labour’s Shadow Paymaster General Jonathan Ashworth demanded the PM "come clean" and tell voters "exactly how many of his Conservatives are implicated".
Responding to the Tory party's decision to withdraw support from the candidates, Ashworth said: "It is yet another example of Rishi Sunak’s staggeringly weak leadership that it has taken him nearly two weeks to see what was obvious to everyone else. The Conservatives who sought to line their own pockets by betting on the election date are not fit to be candidates for parliament.
"Rishi Sunak now needs to come clean with voters across the country and tell them exactly how many of his Conservatives are implicated and who they are.
"Just as with Partygate and the PPE scandal, the Conservatives believe it is one rule for them, another for everyone else. Change is in the hands of people across the country: but to get it, they have to vote Labour on 4 July."
The Tories have said they “can no longer support” two prospective MPs who have been accused of betting on the timing of the General Election
PA
The Tories have said they “can no longer support” two prospective MPs who have been accused of betting on the timing of the General Election.
A party spokesperson said they will be withdrawing support for both Craig Williams and Laura Saunders.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as parliamentary candidates at the forthcoming general election.
"We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing."
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper repeatedly refused to set a numerical target for reducing net migration when pressed on the issue.
Asked what the parties would do to bring down net migration, Cooper accused the Conservatives of a “failure on the economy and migration”, adding that the system “has to be controlled and managed”.
Speaking to LBC, she promised a “significant” reduction under Labour but repeatedly refused to put a numerical target when pressed, arguing that the party was not doing this because every time the Conservatives have done that they have “failed and discredited it”.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “This is another example of what Labour are saying now in complete contradiction to what they were doing only very recently … They talk about wanting to bring this down. This is a road to Damascus-style conversion now that there’s an election.”
There should not be any “undue reason for delay” in banning conversion therapy, shadow minister without portfolio Nick Thomas-Symonds has said
PA
There should not be any “undue reason for delay” in banning conversion therapy, shadow minister without portfolio Nick Thomas-Symonds has said.
Asked if Labour would ban the practice in their first 100 days, he told Times Radio: “We will have to look at where the Government is up to but I can’t see any undue reason for delay.
“I do think that conversion practices, which are deliberately and coercively trying to change or suppress someone’s sexual or gender identity, is abhorrent and it does a great deal of damage to people.
“Now, of course, there is a distinction between conversion practices and legitimate talking therapies, counselling, support, say, between teachers and pupils or religious leaders and worshippers, or parents and children. Of course it’s really important the legislation captures that.”
He added: “It’s really important to make exceptions and I think I’ve just given, in my last answer, a couple of examples of where they are but it is about drawing that distinction.”
The Metropolitan Police has been accused of leaking the identities of Tories implicated in the general election betting scandal.
A source close to the Cabinet Office said there was suspicion that the identities of Conservative candidates and officials had been leaked from within Scotland Yard.
While the identities of Tories accused of placing bets were made public, the identities and extent of the alleged involvement of police officers had been less obvious.
People waiting in France for the end of the Rwanda scheme before coming to Britain is “evidence of the deterrent effect” of the plan, Home Office minister Michael Tomlinson has said
PA
People waiting in France for the end of the Rwanda scheme before coming to Britain is “evidence of the deterrent effect” of the plan, Home Office minister Michael Tomlinson has said.
He told Times Radio: “The deterrent is not fully in place, but we’re already seeing the effects of that deterrent, and we’ve seen overnight the breaking news from the Telegraph on the front pages, where there are those who are in northern France, who are waiting, delaying their journey because they do not like the Rwanda scheme, they do not want to be deported to Rwanda.
“And people have been asking me for weeks, for months, where is the evidence of the deterrent effect? Well, there it is, writ large.
“We saw last month when the Rwanda Act was passed, we saw migrants moving from the United Kingdom into Ireland, we’ve got the evidence literally overnight, from those in northern France.
“And then, of course, if we vote for the Conservative Party on the fourth of July, the planes are booked, the airstrip is ready, and the planes will take off, and that’s when the full deterrent effect will kick in.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said there is nothing stopping his party from winning “a couple of seats” in the General Election
PA
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said there is nothing stopping his party from winning “a couple of seats” in the General Election.
Mr Farage told a rally in Devon that Reform is “on the up” and while he expects Labour to win, his party was “live in second position”.
He said: “Many of these seats (in the West Country) will be decided in Devon and elsewhere by literally a couple of hundred votes either way and I think you’re gonna find we’re in the mix.
“There’s nothing to stop us winning a couple of these seats.
“But to do it, we’re going to need to maintain that momentum, we need to maintain that conversation.”
Migrants in northern France have said they are waiting for a Labour government before they make the journey across the Channel to Britain, as a result of Labour's pledge to overturn the Rwanda plan
PA
Migrants in northern France have said they are waiting for a Labour government before they make the journey across the Channel to Britain, as a result of Labour's pledge to overturn the Rwanda plan.
Some migrants said they would not risk crossing the Channel until they know there is a new government.
The Labour Party has pledged to scrap the Rwanda scheme on "day one" if Starmer wins the keys to Downing Street.
A 43-year old Peshmerga fighter from Iraq, currently in northern France, told the Telegraph that he was waiting until after the election to travel to Britain.
He said: "It’s better to wait for two weeks, I would like to wait for two weeks."
