Key points
- Tory candidate facing gambling probe married to party's director of campaigns
- 'Not the 90th minute' in election, Gove insists
- Labour on course for best-ever election result, according to poll
- Look up the projected result where you live
- Live reporting by Tim Baker
Analysis
- Sam Coates:A big, big, big problem for the Conservatives
- Jon Craig:Has Sunak blundered by opting for a long campaign?
- Tamara Cohen:SNP faces triple whammy of crises
Election essentials
- Manifesto pledges:Conservatives|Greens|Labour|Lib Dems|Plaid Cymru|Reform|SNP|Sinn Fein|Workers Party
- Trackers:Who's leading polls?|Is PM keeping promises?
- Campaign Heritage:Memorable moments from elections gone by
- Follow Sky's politics podcasts:Electoral Dysfunction|Politics At Jack And Sam's
- Read more:Who is standing down?|Key seats to watch|What counts as voter ID?|Check if your constituency is changing|Guide to election lingo|Sky's election night plans
Conservative head of campaigns took leave of absence last night
Tony Lee, the Conservative Party's head of campaigns, took a leave of absence last night Sky News has been told.
This was around the same time the story first broke that his Conservative candidate wife - Laura Saunders - was facing being investigated by the Gambling Commission.
Mr Lee appears to have made his social media accounts private, but was announced as the party's campaign chief role back in 2022 at the Conservative Party conference.
He has also worked for Andy Street, who until recently was the Conservative's mayor of the West Midlands.
Mr Lee described himself as "an experienced political campaigner with over 20 years experience in running election".
His past includes "successfully leading Andy Street's re-election campaign as mayor of the West Midlands in 2021 and numerous local election campaigns".
Analysis: This is a 'big, big, big problem' for the Conservatives
Sky deputy political editor Sam Coates has been analysing the developments around the potential investigations into bets placed on the date of the general election by Conservatives.
He says it is a "big, big, big problem" for the government.
"This is one of those stories that everybody can understand," Sam adds.
"First, it was his top parliamentary aide - called Craig Williams - who has admitted and apologised for putting a bet on the date of the election, three days before Rishi Sunak called that election.
"He's being investigated by the Gambling Commission.
"Now a second candidate who just so happens to be married to somebody in Conservative headquarters who deals with campaigning, they are also under investigation.
"And, a member of the prime minister's police protection squad, they were arrested earlier in the week.
"And it does look as if people immediately around the prime minister may have been looking to eke out some personal advantage, by having this bit of super secret information that the rest of us weren't privy to about the election date.
"An election date which I have to say is a gamble that, for everybody else in the Conservative Party, looks like it's gone wrong.
"But for those three people, it looked like they tried to get an upside, but they look like they might have been found out."
Poll tracker: Where do the parties stand?
Our live poll tracker collates the results of opinion surveys carried out by all the main polling organisations - and allows you to see how the political parties are performing in the run-up to the general election.
It currently shows a drop in support in recent days for Labour and the Tories - with a jump for Reform and the Liberal Democrats.
Read more about the tracker here.
Gambling investigating 'possibility of offences concerning date of election'
We've had an update from the Gambling Commission on what is happening with the Conservative Party.
The watchdog's statement does not go into massive detail - but it does tell us it is looking into allegations around a bet on the date of the election.
Rishi Sunak's decision to call a 4 July vote shocked many.
A spokesperson said: "The Gambling Commission regulates gambling in the interests of consumers and the wider public.
"Currently the commission is investigating the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election.
"This is an ongoing investigation, and the commission cannot provide any further details at this time."
Hunt admits Tory election win is not 'most likely outcome'
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has been speaking at an event with The Times this morning.
He is facing a tough campaign in his seat in Surrey.
Asked about his party's prospects, Mr Hunt says: "We are the underdogs - no question about it."
He adds that the government winning the election is "going to be very difficult" - and that "I don't think any of us pretend that's the most likely outcome".
But he believes his party still has a chance - and that people on the doorstep are still making up their minds.
Gambling allegations appear to show 'pattern of cronyism' - Labour
Labour's Matthew Pennycook, the shadow housing minister, is speaking to Sky News on behalf of the party this morning.
Kay Burley asks him about the fact multiple Conservative candidates are facing potential Gambling Commission investigations over their conduct.
This includes the recent news that one of the candidates is married to the party's director of campaigning.
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."
Mr Pennycook repeats the "pattern of cronyism" line again later in the interview.
He says he would be "angry" - and that "disappointment" is quite a strong enough word - to describe how he would feel if someone he knew placed a bet using private information.
Tory candidate facing gambling probe married to party's director of campaigns
We reported earlier that Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate for Bristol North West, is facing an investigation by the Gambling Commission.
We've now got a bit more information.
It transpires that Ms Saunders is married to the Conservative Party's director of campaigning, Tony Lee.
Sky News has contacted Ms Saunders and the Conservatives for comment.
The party earlier confirmed it had been contacted by the Gambling Commission "about a small number of individuals".
Cabinet minister Michael Gove told Sky News: "I know that there are two people who are now subject to this process, I think, from the Gambling Commission."
The minister - who is not standing for reelection - says it is "deeply disturbing" that people may have been betting on the date of the election.
But, he says it is the "exception rather than the rule".
It comes after it emerged that a close protection officer for Rishi Sunak has been arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the election.
The PM's parliamentary aide, Craig Williams, is also facing an investigation after he bet on a July election date.
Tories party at donor event as polls predict wipeout
Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico's Jack Blanchard with their guide to the election day ahead.
This is day 29 of the campaign. Jack and Sam discuss all four main leaders facing an audience on primetime TV, who is missing from the Tories' party donors event, Bank of England interest rates and who the newspapers are going to endorse for No 10.
👉 Tap here to follow Politics at Jack and Sam's wherever you get your podcasts 👈
Email Jack and Sam: jackandsam@sky.uk
Tory candidate facing gambling probe named
We reported earlier that the Conservative Party has been contacted by the Gambling Commission over "a small number" of individuals.
This follows reports thatCraig Williams, an aide of the prime minister, was facing a probe over allegedly gambling on the date of the election.
Sky News understands a second person - Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West - is also one of those the watchdog is considering.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said he was aware of two people facing investigations.
This follows separate news yesterday that one of Mr Sunak's close protection officers was arrested and suspended over alleged bets on the election date.
Sky News has approached Ms Saunders for comment.
Also standing in Bristol North West:
Caroline Gooch, Liberal Democrats;
Darren Jones, Labour;
Scarlett O'Connor, Reform UK;
Mary Page, Green;
Laura Saunders, Conservative;
Ben Smith, SDP.
Politicians 'not professional enough to be clowns'
By Jason Farrell, home editor
Even the world of escapism can't escape politics.
Decisions made on the green benches of parliament could be life or death for the circus. Like many businesses, it is walking the wire between rising costs and cash-strapped audiences.
As part of our Bench Across Britain series we visited a circus tent in south Leicestershire where punters try to forget the world for an hour or so - only to be confronted by Sky News, asking them about the general election.
First, we spoke to the performers: high wire walker Ksenia Archer literally dropped in on our bench while still attached to her safety harness.
"Our costs have gone up miles high," she said.
"Unfortunately, our customers' costs have gone up as well. We've not been able to increase ticket prices - they have had to go down, to ensure we get any customers at all."
She added: "The circus was invented in England - it's over 250 years old. But unless we get support we will be slowly dying out."
Read Jason's full story below:
