The British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he is "extremely, extremely angry".
The anger concerns the suspicions that high-ranking representatives of his own party, The Conservative Party (Tories), have engaged in illegal betting on the date of the British election before he himself announced it.
If they placed bets based on insider information they had, it could be criminal.
When Sunak was questioned on BBC on Thursday evening, he said that the suspicions are serious but that one must let the ongoing investigations take their course. He simultaneously stressed that if it turns out that someone has broken the rules, they will not only face the legal consequences of it.
I will also ensure that they are kicked out of the party, said Sunak.
It is not just any members or representatives who are suspected of having placed bets on when the election would take place. It concerns Sunak's campaign chief, two of the party's candidates in the 4 July election – including the campaign chief's wife – as well as one of those responsible for Sunak's security.
It is not illegal to bet on the election date, but illegal to do so based on insider information. It is not known which date the four placed bets on.
Sunak and his party appear to be heading for a crushing defeat and loss of government power in the election.
