Labour candidate suspended as General Election betting scandal grows

LABOUR has suspended a parliamentary candidate after being told the Gambling Commission has launched an investigation into him, a party spokesperson said.

Kevin Craig, the Labour candidate for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, has been suspended by the party.

Labour administratively suspended Craig after it emerged he was facing a Gambling Commission investigation.

PA have reported it is understood his suspension is not to related to bets on election timing.

The BBC reported the probe was instead focused on a bet against himself winning a seat at Westminster.

And The Times said that Craig had donated £100,000 to Labour, which the party would now look to return.

READ MORE: Tory candidate 'considering legal action against BBC' amid betting scandal

A Labour Party 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."

On Craig's campaign website, he describes himself as a businessman who previously served as a Labour councillor for 17 years.

The news follows Rishi Sunak pulling support from candidates Craig Williams and Laura Saunders over the General Election betting row earlier today

The Prime Minister acted after coming under mounting pressure within the party to take a tougher stance on the alleged use of inside information to bet on the timing of the July 4 poll.

In a sign of the wider scope of the Gambling Commission’s investigation, the watchdog passed information to the Metropolitan Police alleging that five more officers had placed bets related to the timing of the poll.