Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
The Conservatives won by a majority of 23,391 in 2019 and Craig claims he did it because he thought he wouldn’t win and planned to donate any proceeds to local charities.
Labor discovered that the Gambling Commission was investigating him this afternoon and immediately moved to withdraw their support from him.
READ MORE: Tories withdraw support for candidates accused of election betting
It comes amid a wider scandal over gambling on the General Election, with four candidates and a Conservative official facing investigation by the watchdog.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Craig said: “Although I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake, for which I apologize unreservedly.
“I have so much respect for how Keir Starmer has changed the Labor Party and I have been fighting so hard to win this seat and change the country alongside him.”
He added: “I deeply regret what I have done and I will take the consequences of this stupid error of judgment on the chin. I am very sorry to the many dedicated and loyal local Labor Party volunteers who have been supporting my campaign. I will fully comply with the investigation.”
A Labor spokesman said: “With Keir Starmer as leader, the Labor party maintains the highest standards for our parliamentary candidates, as the public rightly expects of any party aspiring to serve, and that is why we have acted immediately in this case.”
It is understood that the party has also since given back £100,000 in donations from Mr Craig to the party.
Mr Craig, who founded public affairs agency PLMR and is described on his website as an expert in “political communications” and “crisis management”, was campaigning in Suffolk earlier on Tuesday, according to his social media.
He posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he had attended Ipswich Family Bank and said he hoped to “work with them to bring change after (July 4)”.
Mr Craig stood for Labor in the constituency after Dr Dan Poulter, who won the seat as a Tory, challenged the opposition in protest against what he described as the Conservatives’ “drifting to the right” and neglect of the NHS.
Because the nominations have closed, Mr Craig – along with Craig Williams and Laura Saunders, the two Tory candidates who have been temporarily suspended based on allegations of internal betting on the election – will still be on the ballot paper.
But he will no longer be supported by Labor during the vote.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24411545.labour-withdraw-support-candidate-betting/?ref=rss
