General election 2024 latest: Tory candidate Laura Saunders facing gambling probe married to party’s campaign director

Labour could install “yes men and women” in public bodies if it wins a large majority at the election, Michael Gove has said.

Arguing Labour would use a large majority to “rig the system” and ensure it remained in power, the cabinet minister told the BBC: “My concern is that Labour would use whatever tools they have, if they have that sort of level of unchecked power in the Commons, to entrench it.

“I think there are a number of other things that they would seek to do as well, for example make sure that many of the public bodies that we all rely on to help to run our lives, instead of having a balance of people from across the political spectrum with real skills that will help, I think there may be a tendency for them to put people who will be yes men and women in.

“That is certainly a concern that I’ve heard from voters in some of the conversations that I’ve had and I do think that it is a factor.”

The Labour chair of Islington North has been forced to resign after she was spotted campaigning for Jeremy Corbyn, the Jewish News reports.

Alison McGarry reportedly asked locals in her constituency to support the former Labour leader who is standing as an independent candidate.

After facing a potential expulsion from the party, Ms McGarry eventually decided to resign instead.

Shadow housing minister Matt Pennycook has condemned Laura Saunders, who is married to the Tory campaign director, after it emerged she is being investigated for alegedly betting about the general election date.

Mr Pennycook says: “I think it does seriously chip away at trust and confidence, in the government and in politics more widely.

“And we’ve had too much of that over the last 14 years.

“I sort of hesitate slightly, but this appears with each one of these new allegations to be looking like a pattern of cronyism, if you like, with people benefiting directly, potentially, from information that may have been passed on.”

Laura Saudners, who is the party candidate in Bristol North West, is married to the director of campaigns of the Conservative party Tony Lee, the BBC reports.

The Tory candidate is currently being looked into by the Gambling Commission over an alleged bet about the date of the general election.

A Conservative Party spokesman told the BBC: “We have been contacted by the Gambling Commission about a small number of individuals. As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”

Michael Gove has sasid he is “confident” Rishi Sunak will be re-elected as an MP for Richmond.

It comes after multiple polls revealed he could be on track to become the first prime minister to lose his seat at a general election.

But Mr Gove told Sky News: “I am confident that the Prime Minister will be returned in Richmond as I am confident that lots of Conservative candidates will be returned.

“But what we need to do as a party and a Government overall is to have a conversation with the electorate.

“The electorate will of course look at polls and front pages but what they are really interested in are policies.”

Michael Gove has said it would be “reprehensible” for someone to use inside information to bet on the date of the General Election.

Asked about reports the Gambling Commission was investigating a second Conservative candidate for placing a bet on the date of the election, Mr Gove told the BBC: “If people have used inside information to place bets, that is deeply wrong.

“What I can’t do is sort of get too much into the detail of the case while an investigation is going on.

“But I can talk about the broad principle and you’re absolutely right, it’s reprehensible.”