A senior Tory placed a £8,000 bet that he would lose his seat, it has been claimed.
Sir Philip Davies, a long-time supporter of the gambling industry," reportedly put a large bet that he would lose his Shipley seat, where he has a 6,242 majority.
When approached by the Sun, Sir Philip said: "What's it go to do with you whether I did or didn't." He added: "I hope to win. I'm busting a gut to win. I expect to lose. In the 2005 election, I busted a gut to win. I expected to lose. I had a bet on myself to lose in the 2005 election, and my bet went down the pan.
"My comment will be whether I have or haven't, it's nobody's business apart from mine. And if anyone's alleging I've done anything illegal, they're very welcome to allege it, but I'm afraid I haven't."
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Full Statements: Seven police officers now being investigated over General Election betting scandal
The number of Met Police officers now under investigation over bets on the date of the General Election has risen to at least seven.
Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “We are focussed on an investigation into confidential information being used to gain an unfair advantage when betting on the date of the General Election. Our enforcement team has made rapid progress so far and will continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police to draw this case to a just conclusion.
“We understand the desire for information, however, to protect the integrity of the investigation and to ensure a fair and just outcome, we are unable to comment further at this time, including the name of any person who may be under suspicion.”
Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin, who is leading the Met investigation, said: “We have agreed a joint approach with the Gambling Commission, who are the appropriate authority to investigate the majority of these allegations. There will, however, be a small number of cases where a broader criminal investigation by the police is required. We will aim to provide updates at key points as our investigation progresses.”
Read more: Seven police officers now being investigated over General Election betting scandal
BREAKING: At least seven Met police officers under investigation for election betting
The number of Metropolitan Police officers under investigation over bets on the timing of the general election has risen to at least seven, the force said.
Rishi Sunak slammed for 'surrender' poster showing child with hands raised
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been slammed for an "offensive" anti-Labour poster that showed people - including a young child - raising their hands saying "surrender."
Mr Sunak was today blasted after sharing the image on his personal X/Twitter account that showed the backs of a man, a woman and a young child with their hands raised in the air.
The caption reads: "Don't surrender your family's future to Labour."
Brendan Cox, the wife of murdered MP Jo Cox, appeared to criticise the attack ad. He quoted Mr Sunak's post and responded: "Labour are going to gun down your family. Don’t pretend you weren’t warned… Er…" Labour MP Ms Cox was shot and stabbed multiple times on her way to a constituency surgery in 2016.
Read more: Rishi Sunak slammed for 'surrender' poster showing child with hands raised
Labour's Jonathan Reynolds defends Labour's General Election approach
Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds defended Labour’s cautious approach to the General Election.
He told a British Chambers of Commerce conference in London: “I’m told by some commentators, they don’t think Labour’s campaign is exciting enough.
“We’re not pitching you a new Netflix series. We’re not putting on politics as entertainment.
“We want to return to serious government, to effective policy and to politics as public service, not as pantomime.”
Stamer hits back at 'misinformation' amid backlash over Bangladesh migrant clip
Labour has branded a viral clip of Keir Starmer talking about the deportation of migrants to Bangladesh as "misinformation."
It comes after Mr Starmer faced a backlash over the comments he made when asked about plans to tackle small boats crossings in the Channel during an election debate this week.
The party has promised to scrap the Tories' costly Rwanda deportation plan and instead vowed to crackdown on the "vile" smuggling gangs" and increase returns.
Read more: Keir Stamer hits back at 'misinformation' amid backlash over Bangladesh migrant video
Top Tory reacts after Martin Lewis slaps down party's clip of him - 'it's wrong'
Tory Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake has admitted it was "wrong" if his party posted something "inaccurate" on social media after MoneySavingExpert Martin lewis slapped down one of their tweets.
When asked about the post, which Sky Presenter Wilfred Frost described as "certainly an exaggeration, if not an outright fabrication," Mr Hollinrake said: "I think if we've tweeting something that's inaccurate, that's wrong. We shouldn't do that. We don't need to be inaccurate because the Labour Party have been quite clear."
Mr Hollinrake, who is running to be MP for Thirsk and Malton, admitted he "regrets" some of the gaffes made by the Tories over the election campaign.
"Do I regret some of the mistakes that people have made over recent weeks? Of course I do, of course," he said. "It is a distraction from what really counts in this election and what counts in the election is the next five years."
Read more: Top Tory reacts after Martin Lewis slaps down party's clip of him - 'it's wrong'
Met Police detectives investigating Westminster betting scandal
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed its detectives are examining Westminster betting scandal cases to see whether any are criminal in nature.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Met detectives will lead on investigating a small number of cases to assess whether the alleged offending goes beyond Gambling Act offences to include others, such as misconduct in public office."
The ongoing betting scandal has continued to haunt Rishi Sunak's campaign.
Tory Philip Davies 'made £8,000 bet' he'd lose his seat at General Election
Senior Tory Sir Philip Davies, a long-time supporter of the gambling industry, placed an £8,000 bet on him losing his seat - it has been claimed.
He is said to have placed the wager on that he would be defeated in his Shipley seat, where he is defending a 6,242 majority.
Approached by the Sun, Sir Philip said: "What's it go to do with you whether I did or didn't."
He added: "I hope to win. I'm busting a gut to win. I expect to lose. In the 2005 election, I busted a gut to win. I expected to lose. I had a bet on myself to lose in the 2005 election, and my bet went down the pan.
"My comment will be whether I have or haven't, it's nobody's business apart from mine. And if anyone's alleging I've done anything illegal, they're very welcome to allege it, but I'm afraid I haven't."
Read more: Tory Philip Davies 'made £8,000 bet' he'd lose his seat at General Election
Junior doctors' strike timing 'interesting,' says Tory minister
Business minister Kevin Hollinrake said the timing of the latest junior doctors’ strike was “interesting”.
Asked whether striking in the final week of an election campaign was “deliberately provocative”, Mr Hollinrake told Sky News: “It’s interesting timing, it really is. There’s not been a strike for some time.
“I don’t know, I’m not going to judge somebody’s motivation for a decision but it’s interesting timing and I regret the decision to strike because we know this doesn’t help waiting lists, which we want to bring down.”
Labour's Philipson speaks out over David Tennant controversy
Labour’s shadow education secretary said she did not support David Tennant’s comments after the actor told equalities minister Kemi Badenoch to “shut up” in a row over trans rights.
Bridget Phillipson told Times Radio: “I personally don’t like that kind of language that was used.
“And I believe that where we discus these issues – and it is right that we can have an open discussion about them – that we do so in a way that is absolutely frank but respectful, tolerant, and in keeping with the best traditions within our country.
“And I know that politicians, particularly female politicians, receive an awful lot of abuse sometimes and do frequently face that kind of language being used against them and I don’t think it advances a more tolerant and respectful discussion.”
Tory minister admits placing election bet
Business minister Kevin Hollinrake said he had put a bet on the Conservatives to win the election, but gambling on the result in Thirsk and Malton, where he is a candidate, would be “wrong”.
Asked whether he had bet on a Tory victory, Mr Hollinrake said: “Yes, I did. Not my seat, I think that would be wrong.”
He added: “This situation has definitely opened up a debate that we should have a proper debate about and decide whether it’s right or wrong that people have a bet on things they are involved in.”
Just 7 days to go until General Election
In one week's time the nation will go to the polls to decide what party will govern the country for the next few years.
Polling has consistently given Labour a commanding lead and the Tories are predicted to be heading to an unprecedented deafeat.
Nine bombshells from Starmer and Sunak's 'shouty' head-to-head BBC TV election debate
Keir Starmer brutally tore into Rishi Sunak by suggesting that he "might not be quite so out of touch" if he actually listened to voters in a brutal debate.
The Labour leader landed a heavy blow as Mr Sunak resorted to shouting over him in the final head-to-head debate of the General Election campaign.
During the 75-minute clash, a desperate Mr Sunak repeatedly interrupted his rivals as they clashed on tax, immigration and sleaze.
Read more: Nine bombshells from Starmer and Sunak's 'shouty' head-to-head BBC TV election debate
Starmer won latest debate, according to poll
A snap poll by More in Common has suggested Sir Keir Starmer won tonight’s head-to-head BBC debate.
In a survey of 1,525 viewers, 56% said the Labour leader won, whereas 44% said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did.
Of the respondents, 30% said Mr Sunak performed better than expected, compared to 19% saying the same for Sir Keir.
Every school pupil will get two weeks of 'quality' work experience, Labour vows
Every child will get two weeks of "quality" work experience while at school if Labour gets into power, the party vows.
It pledged to "turbocharge" careers advice amid fears hundreds of thousands of youngsters are falling through the cracks. More than one-in-three secondary school pupils don't know enough about good jobs available to them, Labour warns.
Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson promised to recruit 1,000 new careers advisors in schools across England. On top of this she said Labour would improve links between schools and colleges and local employers.
She said: “Over one million young people are set to benefit from Labour ushering in a revolution in in work readiness with our plan to work with local employers to turbocharge work experience and careers advice in schools.
Every school pupil will get two weeks of 'quality' work experience, Labour vows
Interrupting Rishi Sunak fails to impress with election just days away
Rishi Sunak appeared to be stuck on repeat tonight as he claimed multiple times that Labour would "surrender" the UK's borders and increase taxes.
It was clear he was trying to come across as more energetic after being accused of looking tired in recent TV appearances - but this frequently tipped over into rudeness, as he shouted down Keir Starmer and BBC debate host Mishal Husain.
At one point, Keir Starmer joked that the Prime Minister must have had a "bet" on how many times he could interrupt him during the show.
James Cleverly bats away questions on leadership ambitions
James Cleverly batted away questions over whether he plans to run to be Tory leader if Rishi Sunak is defeated.
He said: "I'm focused relentlessly, as is the PM, on maximising the number of Conservatives that we get elected, ideally to form a Government. That is what we're focused on.
"As I've said before, anyoen that aspires to be leader of the opposition is doing it wrong becaue the leader of the opposition job only becomes available if you lose the election."
Top Tory insists its a 'cut and dry win' for Rishi Sunak
Home Secretary James Cleverly was out to bat for Conservatives, claiming it was a "cut and dry win" for Rishi Sunak.
But when grilled on the Tory record, he kept insisting the election was "about the future", rather than answering questions about how taxes and immigration have risen under the Conservatives.
Asked if the repeated warnings not to "surrender" to Labour were to suggest the party is unpatriotic, he said: "The British people need to recognise that the things they value aren't going to be protected by the Labour party. I'm fighting tooth and nail, the PM is fighting tooth and nail to get as many Conservative MPs elected as possible."
He said the Tories want to form a Government, but in a clear admission of how unlikely this is starting to look, he said it was their duty to "protect the British people from a runaway Labour Government".
Spinners go to war as the dust settles
The debate ends and the spin begins!
Labour's Pat McFadden blasted "desperate" Tory attacks, adding: "I think there was only one PM in the room and that was Keir Starmer. He effectively exposed the heart of the Tory election campaign which is an unfunded manifesto".
Asked about the PM's repeated claim that voters shouldn't "surrender" to Labour, he said: "It's desperate."
He said Rishi Sunak's answers all claimed that everything was wonderful. "It shows how out of touch he is with the electorate."
Tories are at risk of getting fewer MPs than the Liberal Democrats
The Tories are at risk of getting fewer MPs than the Liberal Democrats, according to a mega-poll.
The bombshell survey of almost 20,000 people suggests 20 Cabinet ministers could lose their seats in the bloodbath - including Rishi Sunak.
The poll by Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus predicts that Keir Stamer is heading for a Labour landslide with an unprecedented majority of 250 seats.
This would be an even bigger victory than Tony Blair’s historic win in 1997.
Who will win General Election 2024? Bombshell poll shows Tories pushed into third place
BBC TV viewers say Rishi Sunak is 'acting like a child' in Keir Starmer debate
Viewers said Rishi Sunak was acting like a 'petulant child' during tonight's BBC TV debate - repeatedly interrupting and shouting over Keir Starmer and the audience.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said after the debate: "I think it's clear that the Prime Minister was very shouty-interrupty, and not very Prime Ministerial."
And during the debate, Mr Starmer said: "If you listen to the people in the audience, across the country, more often, you might not be quite so out of touch."
He won further applause by urging the PM to "show some respect to the audience who want to know what I've got to say about this, without constantly being interrupted."
BBC TV viewers say Rishi Sunak is 'acting like a child' in Keir Starmer debate
Tories slammed for fake 'fact check' account during debate
The Conservatives have been called out by a fact checker for changing their official account to 'Tax Check UK' during tonight's debate.
Chris Morris, Chief Executive of Full Fact, said: "Conservative HQ’s decision to rebrand its social media feed in a way that could mislead people is unnecessary. Voters deserve better."
Chris Morris, Chief Executive of Full Fact, said: “Conservative HQ’s decision to rebrand its social media feed in a way that could mislead people is unnecessary.
— Lizzy Buchan (@LizzyBuchan) June 26, 2024
"Voters deserve better. https://t.co/lTqpna1mBo
Who won BBC General Election debate as Keir Starmer takes on 'out of touch' Rishi Sunak
Keir Starmer tonight told Rishi Sunak he “might not be quite so out of touch” if he actually listened to voters.
The Labour leader delivered the brutal swipe as the PM resorted to shouting over him in the final election TV debate.
During the 75-minute showdown on BBC One, a desperate Mr Sunak repeatedly interrupted his rival as they clashed on tax, immigration and sleaze. But Mr Starmer earned a round of applause as he told him: “If you listened to people in the audience across the country more often, you might not be quite so out of touch.”
Viewers at home accused Mr Sunak of acting like a child by constantly interrupting.
A snap YouGov poll of 1,716 debate viewers suggested it was a tie with exactly 50% saying Mr Sunak performed best and 50% saying Mr Starmer.
Who won BBC General Election debate as Keir Starmer takes on 'out of touch' Rishi Sunak
YouGov poll shows 50-50 split over debate winner
YouGov have just released a snap poll of voters asking: "Who do you think performed better in tonight's debate?"
It's a dead heat, with both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak on 50%.
Debate over as analysis begins
It was another intense head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, who clashed repeatedly during the 75-minute debate over the economy, immigration, asylum and the betting scandal.
Keir Starmer shoots down Sunak's 'lie' in closing statement
Rishi Sunak repeated the debunked £2,000 claim about Labour's tax plans in his closing statement, and Keir Starmer responded: "That's a lie, and you've been told not to repeat it."
Starmer and Sunak asked what they would do to keep students in UK
Keir Starmer said he would create "high-skilled jobs" for young people, while Rishi Sunak claimed he would deliver a cut in stamp duty and the Help to Buy scheme.
"Every single young person in this country will feel that life is better for them", Mr Starmer added.
'Massive gap' between Rishi Sunak's life and rest of the country, Keir says
Keir Starmer has said there is a "massive gap" between Rishi Sunak's life and people "up and down the country" after the pair clashed over the economy.
Tories accused of misleading voters with dodgy Twitter rebrand
The Tories have resorted to their old tricks by rebranding their official press Twitter account "Tax Check UK".
It appears to be an independent fact checking account, until you read the small print - "by the Conservative Party".
It's not the first time they've done it. In the 2019 election, the Tories got into hot water by rebadging their account as "Fact Check UK" during a TV debate.
Chris Morris, Chief Executive of Full Fact, said: “Conservative HQ’s decision to rebrand its social media feed in a way that could mislead people is unnecessary.
"Voters deserve better.