RISHI SUNAK SAID Tory figures who are found to have broken gambling rules “should face the full force of the law”, as he is likely to face further questions on the betting scandal engulfing his faltering election campaign.

The British Prime Minister said he was “incredibly angry to learn” of the allegations that a string of people with links to the Conservative Party or his office bet on the timing of the 4 July contest before he announced it.

Concerns over political insiders profiting from the election date could overshadow his campaigning on Friday, when he is at the Welsh Conservative manifesto launch in Kinmel Bay.

 I was incredibly angry, incredibly angry to learn of these allegations.”

Sunak was asked during a bruising appearance on Thursday night’s BBC Question Time leaders’ special whether the betting allegations were “the absolute epitome of the lack of ethics” displayed by the Conservative Party in recent years.

He replied: “I was incredibly angry – incredibly angry – to learn of these allegations.

“It’s a really serious matter. It’s right that they’re being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities, including … a criminal investigation by the police.

“I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law.”

Conservative candidate Laura Saunders said she “will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission” probe, while her husband, the Tories’ director of campaigning, Tony Lee, took a leave of absence amid reports the couple were being investigated by the gambling regulator.

It came after the arrest of one of the Prime Minister’s police protection officers and the previous revelation of a Gambling Commission investigation into his parliamentary aide, Craig Williams.

.@RishiSunak, as you won’t suspend your insider betting scandal candidates, will you campaign for them?

— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) June 20, 2024

Labour and the Libersl Democrats have called on the Tories to suspend both Saunders and Williams, who is standing in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr.

Pressed on those demands, Sunak said the investigations were ongoing and the “integrity of that process must be respected”.

But, he added: “What I can tell you is if anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party.”

Betfair data appears to show a flurry of bets on a July poll placed on 21 May, the day before Sunak called the election, including some in the hundreds of pounds at odds that would have delivered profits in the thousands.

Despite the Conservatives’ dismal poll ratings failing to improve since Sunak made the move – with four major polls this week even predicting the worst Tory electoral result ever – the Prime Minister insisted he had chosen the “right moment” for the contest.

On Friday, he will ramp up his warnings about handing Labour “a blank cheque” at the election, claiming Keir Starmer’s party will “change every rule they can” to ensure they stay in government once they gain power.