Let’s take a look at today’s top stories. The betting scandal, and election betting by people working in politics in general, dominate this morning’s front pages.
The FT and the Times lead with the Labour MP who bet on himself losing. Labour was drawn into the gambling row for the first time as the party announced it was suspending the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich candidate Kevin Craig after the Gambling Commission launched an investigation. In a statement Craig said, “While I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake, for which I apologise unreservedly.”
The Daily Telegraph, Daily Record and The National lead with the bets placed by Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, who admitted to placing three bets, and has denied any wrongdoing. He said he had no knowledge of the date of the election until the day it was called’ and is not under investigation:
Starmer met with a Pastor, Lorraine Jones, who lost her son to knife crime, with the actor Idris Elba, and, along with his wife Victoria Starmer, Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako of Japan.
Pastor Lorraine Jones (L) speaks to Labour Leader, Sir Keir Starmer (R), who is joined by British actor Idris Elba (C), as they talk to the families of children who have been lost to knife crime at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith on 25 June 2024 in London, England. Pastor Lorraine Jones lost her son Dwayne when he was just 20. He was stabbed in the heart trying to protect a friend in South London's Angell Town Estate in February 2014. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Pastor Lorraine Jones, who lost her son, Dwayne Simpson, to knife crime, speaks with Idris Elba and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, as they meet families of knife crime victims at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London, while on the General Election campaign trail. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Labour leader Keir Starmer with his wife Victoria Starmer make their way along the East Gallery to attend the State Banquet for Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako of Japan at Buckingham Palace on June 25, 2024 in London, England. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
Labour leader Keir Starmer with his wife Victoria Starmer make their way along the East Gallery to attend the State Banquet for Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako of Japan at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2024 in London, England. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
In this photo provided by Youth Demand on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, Oliver, 21, a student from Manchester, one of four protestors, left, speaks to a police officer near Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s property, in North Yorkshire, England. Photograph: AP
And Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty attended a banquet for Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako of Japan.
Akshata Murty, wife of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Mr.Takafumi Shimoda, make their way along the East Gallery the State Banquet for Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako of Japan at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2024 in London, England. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (C) makes his way along the East Gallery to attend the State Banquet for Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako of Japan at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2024 in London, England. Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
A proxy vote is for someone to vote on your behalf. Voter ID certificates are needed for people who do not already have a valid form of photo identification.
This will be the first UK general election where all voters will have to show a valid form of photo ID before casting a ballot. The Guardian’s Andy Beckett wrote about the new rule in May:
The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar, Vikram Dodd, and Kiran Stacey have revealed that a Conservative politician has become the fifth party figure to be investigated by the gambling watchdog for allegedly placing a suspicious bet on the general election date, as the developing scandal continued to overshadow Rishi Sunak’s campaign.
The Gambling Commission has informed Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh parliament who represents the same constituency as Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide Craig Williams, that he is part of its inquiry.
The disclosure came after the Tories finally dropped the two Westminster candidates, including Williams, who are under investigation for allegedly placing bets on a July election, after previously standing by them.
George represents Montgomeryshire in the Welsh parliament, covering the same area that Williams represented at Westminster.
In a statement to the Guardian, George said:
Whilst I will cooperate fully with the Gambling Commission, it would not be appropriate to comment on this independent and confidential process.
Doing so would only jeopardise and undermine the investigation. It is the Gambling Commission, not the media, that has the responsibility, powers and resources to properly investigate these matters and determine what, if any, action should be taken.
I have stepped back from the shadow cabinet while the investigation is ongoing. I have done this as I do not wish to be an unnecessary distraction to their work.”
In a separate development, Labour was also drawn into the gambling row for the first time as the party announced it was suspending the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich candidate Kevin Craig after the Gambling Commission launched an investigation.
Craig, a lobbyist and expert in political crisis management, confirmed that he was under investigation for betting that he would not win his own constituency.
Labour said it would now return £100,000 he had donated to the party under Keir Starmer’s leadership, while the shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, would give back £13,000 donated for staffing costs.
Marsha de Cordova, another Labour candidate, also said she would give back £2,436 Craig donated earlier this year.
A Labour spokesperson said: “With Keir Starmer as leader, the Labour party upholds the highest standards for our parliamentary candidates, as the public rightly expects from any party hoping to serve, which is why we have acted immediately in this case.”
In a statement, Craig said: “Throughout my life I have enjoyed the odd bet for fun whether on politics or horses. A few weeks ago when I thought I would never win this seat I put a bet on the Tories to win here with the intention of giving any winnings to local charities.
“While I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake, for which I apologise unreservedly.”
He added: “It is right that the party upholds the highest standards for its parliamentary candidates – just as the public expects the highest standards from any party hoping to serve in government. I deeply regret what I have done and will take the consequences of this stupid error of judgment on the chin.”
Tens of thousand of people with sight loss will be denied their right to a secret ballot at next week’s general election, campaigners have warned, prompting calls to make it the last inaccessible election.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is calling on all political parties to commit to remove barriers that prevent blind people voting on their own and without help in future elections.
It estimates that 160,000 people in the UK of voting age with severe sight loss will struggle to vote independently because of the lack adjustments made at polling stations.
Good morning and welcome to today’s live UK politics news with me, Helen Sullivan.
Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary and a Tory cabinet minister, revealed on Tuesday evening that he had placed three bets on the date of the general election, one of which was successful, but said that he wanted to make “absolutely clear I have not breached any gambling rules”.
“I had no knowledge of the date of the election until the day it was called. As I have said previously, I placed no bets in May and am not under investigation by the Gambling Commission,” he said.
The news comes as a Conservative politician has become the fifth party figure to be investigated by the gambling watchdog for allegedly placing a suspicious bet on the general election date, as the developing scandal continued to overshadow Rishi Sunak’s campaign.
The Gambling Commission has informed Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh parliament who represents the same constituency as Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide Craig Williams, that he is part of its inquiry.
In a statement to the Guardian, George said:
Whilst I will cooperate fully with the Gambling Commission, it would not be appropriate to comment on this independent and confidential process.
Doing so would only jeopardise and undermine the investigation. It is the Gambling Commission, not the media, that has the responsibility, powers and resources to properly investigate these matters and determine what, if any, action should be taken.
I have stepped back from the shadow cabinet while the investigation is ongoing. I have done this as I do not wish to be an unnecessary distraction to their work.”
More on this and other developments shortly.
Here is what is coming up today:
9.30am: Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting on campaign visit in the East Midlands. They will visit a GP practiceas Labour sets out plans to end the 8am scramble for GP appointments and bring back the family doctor.
10.00am: Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole Hamilton and Edinburgh West candidate Christine Jardine to visit Edinburgh Zoo. They will feed the sloths and tour the soon-to-be completed solar meadow which will help power the zoo.
10.30am: SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn will join the SNP candidate for Gordon and Buchan, Richard Thomson, on the campaign trail in Inverurie.
12:00: Scottish Greens General Election media call with co-leader Lorna Slater in Inverkeithing.
1pm: Reform chairman Richard Tice to give a press conference in Grangemouth.
3.20pm: First Minister John Swinney on the campaign trail in Glasgow. He will be with SNP candidate Carol Monaghan.
8.15pm: Head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to air on BBC One, hosted by Mishal Husain.
