Sign up to this free newsletter using the linked banner above.
IT'S hard to fathom how a political party could be any worse at electioneering.
Since the very damp General Election announcement from Rishi Sunak outside 10 Downing Street, it has been catastrophe after catastrophe.
And the latest in that long line is an absolute doozie.
The Tories have now lost their campaign chief with just a fortnight to go until July 4 as a growing betting scandal engulfs the party.
READ MORE: Bannockburn battlefield protest planned over horseracing track plans
Tony Lee has taken a leave of absence from his role as director of campaigning, after he and his wife – a Tory candidate – were placed under investigation for alleged betting offences, the BBC reports.
It comes after the arrest of one of Sunak’s police protection officers and a Gambling Commission investigation into his parliamentary aide Craig Williams – also over betting allegations.
The mind boggles.
SNP’s Westminster Leader and candidate for Aberdeen South, Stephen Flynn (below) said the Tory campaign is “collapsing before our very eyes”.
“It's gone from bad, to worse, to catastrophic - and in just two weeks time the Tories will deeply deserve the democratic drubbing that they are about to get,” he added.
"The Tories are finished and Sir Keir Starmer is set to swan straight into Downing Street.”
Is this the worst election campaign of all time? It must be in contention.
Three separate polls all published on Wednesday predicted the Tories could be on course for their worst defeat in their nearly 200-year history.
The party is facing the prospect of a near wipeout come polling day, surveys showed.
The only person who believes it will be anything but that is, laughably, Michael Gove who said today that he believes the opinion polls could be wrong and the Tories could win the General Election.
The Housing Secretary, who is stepping down, said he was “not convinced they’re right” as he expressed “optimism” about the Conservatives’ chances on July 4.
Ignorance is bliss indeed.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel