Former Conservatives campaign boss spared jail after betting on general election date

Three people linked to the Conservatives, including the party’s former director of campaigning, have been given suspended sentences after admitting to cheating at gambling on the 2024 general election date. Anthony Lee, 49, pleaded guilty in September alongside his wife, Laura Saunders, 38, who appeared in court under her married name. Lee was responsible for deploying Tory resources for the contest, which then-prime minister Rishi Sunak called for 4 July. Saunders was the party’s head of international, based at head office and had been chosen to run in the Bristol North West constituency.