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A proxy vote is for someone to vote on your behalf. Voter ID certificates are needed for people who do not already have a valid form of photo identification.
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This will be the first UK general election where all voters will have to show a valid form of photo ID before casting a ballot. The Guardian’s Andy Beckett wrote about the new rule in May:
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The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar, Vikram Dodd, and Kiran Stacey have revealed that a Conservative politician has become the fifth party figure to be investigated by the gambling watchdog for allegedly placing a suspicious bet on the general election date, as the developing scandal continued to overshadow Rishi Sunak’s campaign.
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The Gambling Commission has informed Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh parliament who represents the same constituency as Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide Craig Williams, that he is part of its inquiry.
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The disclosure came after the Tories finally dropped the two Westminster candidates, including Williams, who are under investigation for allegedly placing bets on a July election, after previously standing by them.
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George represents Montgomeryshire in the Welsh parliament, covering the same area that Williams represented at Westminster.
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In a statement to the Guardian, George said:
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Whilst I will cooperate fully with the Gambling Commission, it would not be appropriate to comment on this independent and confidential process.
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Doing so would only jeopardise and undermine the investigation. It is the Gambling Commission, not the media, that has the responsibility, powers and resources to properly investigate these matters and determine what, if any, action should be taken.
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I have stepped back from the shadow cabinet while the investigation is ongoing. I have done this as I do not wish to be an unnecessary distraction to their work.”
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In a separate development, Labour was also drawn into the gambling row for the first time as the party announced it was suspending the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich candidate Kevin Craig after the Gambling Commission launched an investigation.
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Craig, a lobbyist and expert in political crisis management, confirmed that he was under investigation for betting that he would not win his own constituency.
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Labour said it would now return £100,000 he had donated to the party under Keir Starmer’s leadership, while the shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, would give back £13,000 donated for staffing costs.
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Marsha de Cordova, another Labour candidate, also said she would give back £2,436 Craig donated earlier this year.
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A Labour 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.”
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In a statement, Craig said: “Throughout my life I have enjoyed the odd bet for fun whether on politics or horses. A few weeks ago when I thought I would never win this seat I put a bet on the Tories to win here with the intention of giving any winnings to local charities.
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“While I did not place this bet with any prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake, for which I apologise unreservedly.”
\n He added: “It is right that the party upholds the highest standards for its parliamentary candidates – just as the public expects the highest standards from any party hoping to serve in government. I deeply regret what I have done and will take the consequences of this stupid error of judgment on the chin.”
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Tens of thousand of people with sight loss will be denied their right to a secret ballot at next week’s general election, campaigners have warned, prompting calls to make it the last inaccessible election.
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The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is calling on all political parties to commit to remove barriers that prevent blind people voting on their own and without help in future elections.
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It estimates that 160,000 people in the UK of voting age with severe sight loss will struggle to vote independently because of the lack adjustments made at polling stations.
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At the last general election, research for the RNIB found that only 13% of blind people felt they could vote independently and in secret:
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Good morning and welcome to today’s live UK politics news with me, Helen Sullivan.
Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary and a Tory cabinet minister, revealed on Tuesday evening that he had placed three bets on the date of the general election, one of which was successful, but said that he wanted to make “absolutely clear I have not breached any gambling rules”.
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“I had no knowledge of the date of the election until the day it was called. As I have said previously, I placed no bets in May and am not under investigation by the Gambling Commission,” he said.
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The news comes as a Conservative politician has become the fifth party figure to be investigated by the gambling watchdog for allegedly placing a suspicious bet on the general election date, as the developing scandal continued to overshadow Rishi Sunak’s campaign.
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The Gambling Commission has informed Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh parliament who represents the same constituency as Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide Craig Williams, that he is part of its inquiry.
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In a statement to the Guardian, George said:
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Whilst I will cooperate fully with the Gambling Commission, it would not be appropriate to comment on this independent and confidential process.
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Doing so would only jeopardise and undermine the investigation. It is the Gambling Commission, not the media, that has the responsibility, powers and resources to properly investigate these matters and determine what, if any, action should be taken.
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I have stepped back from the shadow cabinet while the investigation is ongoing. I have done this as I do not wish to be an unnecessary distraction to their work.”
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More on this and other developments shortly.
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Here is what is coming up today:
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9.30am: Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting on campaign visit in the East Midlands. They will visit a GP practiceas Labour sets out plans to end the 8am scramble for GP appointments and bring back the family doctor.
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10.00am: Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole Hamilton and Edinburgh West candidate Christine Jardine to visit Edinburgh Zoo. They will feed the sloths and tour the soon-to-be completed solar meadow which will help power the zoo.
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10.30am: SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn will join the SNP candidate for Gordon and Buchan, Richard Thomson, on the campaign trail in Inverurie.
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12:00: Scottish Greens General Election media call with co-leader Lorna Slater in Inverkeithing.
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1pm: Reform chairman Richard Tice to give a press conference in Grangemouth.
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3.20pm: First Minister John Swinney on the campaign trail in Glasgow. He will be with SNP candidate Carol Monaghan.
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8.15pm: Head-to-head debate between Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer to air on BBC One, hosted by Mishal Husain.
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Important Events
Today is the deadline to apply for a voter ID certificate or proxy vote
Today is the deadline Apply for a Voter ID Certificate or Proxy voting in general elections It’s next week. Please apply by 5pm.
A proxy vote is someone voting on your behalf. If you do not have a valid photo ID, you will need a voter ID card.
This will be the first UK general election in which all voters will have to show valid photo ID before voting. The Guardian’s Andy Beckett wrote about the new rules in May.
Election gambling: Fifth Conservative MP under investigation in widening scandal
Guardian Pippa Crerar, Vikram Doddand Kiran Stacey It has emerged that a senior Conservative politician has become the fifth senior party figure to be investigated by the gambling watchdog over suspected bets made on general election day, as the widening scandal continues to cast a shadow over Rishi Sunak’s election campaign.
The Gambling Commission Russell GeorgeThe Conservative member of the Welsh Assembly, who represents the same constituency as Craig Williams, a close ally of Mr Sunak, said the MP was taking part in the investigation.
The revelation comes after the Conservative party ultimately defeated two Westminster candidates it had previously supported, including Williams, who was under investigation for allegedly betting on July’s election.
George represents Montgomeryshire in the Welsh Assembly, the same area that Williams represents in Westminster.
In a statement to the Guardian, George said:
I will cooperate fully with the Gambling Commission but it would not be appropriate for me to comment on this independent and confidential process.
To do so would only jeopardise and undermine the investigation. It is the Gambling Commission, not the media, that has the responsibility, powers and resources to properly investigate these matters and decide what action should be taken.
“While the investigation continues, I have stepped back from the Shadow Cabinet as I do not want to cause unnecessary disruption to their work.”
In a separate development, Labour has been embroiled in a gambling scandal for the first time after announcing it would suspend candidates in Central Suffolk and North Ipswich. Kevin Craig After the Gambling Commission launched an investigation.
Craig, a lobbyist and political crisis management expert, acknowledged he was under investigation for betting that he would not win his own district.
The Labour Party announced it would return the £100,000 he donated to the party. Keir StarmerPraising its leadership, Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would return the £13,000 donated towards staff costs.
Marcia de CordovaAnother Labour candidate, John McClellan, said he would also return the £2,436 that Craig donated earlier this year.
A Labour spokesman said: “Labour, led by Keir Starmer, has the highest standards for its parliamentary candidates – this is exactly what is expected of any political party seeking MPs, which is why we have taken immediate action in this case.”
Mr Craig said in a statement: “All my life I have made the odd bet for fun, both in politics and on horse racing. A few weeks ago, when it seemed to me there was no way we could win this seat, I made a bet that the Conservatives would win, with the intention of donating any money I won to a local charity.”
“While I did not make this bet without prior knowledge of the outcome, this was a huge mistake and I sincerely apologize.”
He added: “It is only natural that a party should hold its parliamentary candidates to the highest standards, just as the public expects the highest standards from the party they want in power. I deeply regret what I have done and intend to accept the consequences of this foolish error of judgement.”
Tens of thousands of blind people denied the right to secret ballot
Matthew Weaver
Tens of thousands of visually impaired people will be denied their right to a secret ballot in next week’s general election, activists have warned, and are calling for it to be the last inaccessible election.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is calling on all political parties to commit to removing barriers that prevent blind people from voting independently and unaided in future elections.
In the UK, it is estimated that insufficient accommodation at polling stations will make it difficult for 160,000 people of voting age with severe vision impairments to vote independently.
In the last general election, an RNIB survey found that: 13% of blind people feel they can vote independently And in secret:
Scottish ministers said they bet on dates but “did not breach gambling rules” and are not the subject of an investigation.
Good morning and welcome to today’s live coverage of UK politics, I’m Helen Sullivan.
Alistair JackJohn F. Kennedy, a Scottish government minister and Conservative cabinet member, said he had made three bets on the date of the general election on Tuesday night, one of which was correct, but said he wanted to be “absolutely clear that I did not break any gambling rules.”
“I was not aware of the date of the election until election day and as I have said before, I did not place any bets in May and I have not been investigated by the Gambling Commission,” he said.
The news comes shortly after a fifth Conservative politician became the first to be investigated by the gambling watchdog over allegations of questionable betting on election day, a growing scandal that continues to cast a shadow over Rishi Sunak’s election campaign.
The Gambling Commission Russell GeorgeThe Conservative member of the Welsh Assembly, who represents the same constituency as Craig Williams, a close ally of Mr Sunak, said the MP was taking part in the investigation.
In a statement to the Guardian, George said:
I will cooperate fully with the Gambling Commission but it would not be appropriate for me to comment on this independent and confidential process.
To do so would only jeopardise and undermine the investigation. It is the Gambling Commission, not the media, that has the responsibility, powers and resources to properly investigate these matters and decide what action should be taken.
“While the investigation continues, I have stepped back from the Shadow Cabinet as I do not want to cause unnecessary disruption to their work.”
We’ll discuss this and other developments in more detail shortly.
Here’s what’s planned for today:
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9:30 AM: Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting They are on a campaign trip to the East Midlands and will be visiting GP practices as Labour announces plans to end the 8am battle for GP appointments and bring back GPs.
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10am: Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Alex Cole Hamilton Candidates for Edinburgh West Christine Jardine Visit Edinburgh Zoo, feed the sloths and see the soon-to-be-completed solar meadow that will help power the zoo.
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10.30am: SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn He joins Gordon and Buchan as SNP candidates. Richard ThomsonDuring the election campaign in Inverurie.
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12:00: Press conference with Scottish Green Party general election co-leaders Lorna Slater In Inverkeithing.
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1pm: Reform Chair Richard Tice Press conference held in Grangemouth.
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3:20pm: Prime Minister John Swinney With the SNP candidate during the election campaign in Glasgow Carol Monahan.
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8:15pm: Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer The show will be hosted by Mishal Hussain and broadcast on BBC One.
