General election latest: More politicians being looked into over alleged election date betting

With polling day little more than a week away, the prime minister – and the man who wants his job –
will clash in the second and final head-to-head debate of the campaign.

And it’s a fair bet that gambling will be discussed.

The Conservatives have withdrawn support from two
candidates, two party officials are also subject to an investigation by the
gambling watchdog,

And a Tory member of the welsh Senedd stepped down from a
front bench post last night when he faced inquiries from the Gambling
Commission.

Labour hasn’t been immune, with one of their candidates
swiftly suspended when he admitted to wagering that the Conservatives would win the seat
he was contesting.

The party leaders would of course prefer to talk about other
topics.

Ahead of the debate, Labour is pledging to improve
access to GPs in England to end the 8am scramble for on the day appointments

The Conservatives say they would cut National Insurance
rates further in their first post-election budget.

Even bigger issues may well be raised by the audience
– with independent experts suggesting the main parties have ducked debate on
the state of the public finances.

But with Westminster braced for further gambling
allegations, the party leaders might need a degree of luck if they want to
steer the debate on to their own agendas.