The Conservative Party have ‘withdrawn support’ from Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr MP candidate Craig Williams.

The party have dropped both Williams and MP candidate for Bristol North West Laura Saunders who are both being investigated over alleged election betting.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as Parliamentary Candidates at the forthcoming General Election.

"We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing."

Williams, who is Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary, admitted placing a ‘flutter’ on a July election - both Williams and Saunders deny wrongdoing.

He allegedly placed an £100 bet three days before Sunak announced the 4 July election date.

Williams has since apologised and described it as a “huge error of judgement”.

He served as MP for Montgomeryshire from 2019 to 2024.

Responding to the news, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “It has taken the Conservatives weeks to do the right thing, as has become all too normal for their chaotic and scandal-ridden government. 

“The Conservatives are now out of the race in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr and Labour have always neglected Mid Wales. 

“Given the seat has historically been a Liberal bastion, residents should now rally around our fantastic candidate Glyn Preston who is already a hard-working locally elected councillor.” 

Liberal Democrat candidate for the seat and Llanidloes Councillor Glyn Preston said: “I am running in this election to restore integrity to our local politics. 

“The Conservatives now have no candidate in our constituency. 

“Meanwhile, Labour has always neglected our rural communities, we have seen that time and time again, whether it’s the policies that triggered recent farming protests or their terrible mismanagement of the Welsh NHS.

“I am asking residents from all political persuasions in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr to consider lending me their vote to ensure our constituency is once again represented by a hard-working local MP as we have had in the past with figures like Alex Carlile and Emlyn Hooson.”