The 15, also including a current Welsh Senedd member and a former police officer, have been charged with cheating related to bets placed on the timing of the 2024 general election. They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court at 10am this Friday to face the charges. Politics latest: China makes first statement after UK takes control of British Steel The Gambling Commission said its investigation, which began in June last year, "focused on individuals suspected of using confidential information - specifically advance knowledge of the proposed election date - to gain an unfair advantage in betting markets". It opened the investigation after former Montgomeryshire MP Craig Williams, Mr Sunak's former parliamentary private secretary, admitted placing a £100 bet on 19 May 2024 that the election would be in July. Mr Sunak announced the general election would be on 4 July, three days after Williams, who was also an election candidate, placed the bet. Williams, who was dropped as a candidate, admitted last June to placing a "flutter" on the election and said he "committed a serious error of judgement, not an offence". Current Senedd member, police officer and Tory campaign director charged Among those charged is Russell George, a Conservative member of the Welsh Senedd, who returned to the front bench in October after stepping back from his role as spokesman for mid-Wales in June. Over the weekend, the Welsh Conservatives re-selected him to be a candidate in the Senedd elections next year, but have now suspended him pending the "outcome of the justice process". Other notable people charged are former police officer Jeremy Hunt; Tony Lee, the Conservatives' former campaign director; his wife, Laura Saunders, a former Tory election candidate, as well as Nick Mason, the Conservatives' former chief data officer. Many others are, or were, also Conservative Party staff. The party has said those still working for them have been suspended. A Conservative Party spokesman said: "The Conservative Party believes that those working in politics must act with integrity. Current members of staff who have been charged are being suspended with immediate effect. "These incidents took place in May last year. Our party is now under new leadership and we are cooperating fully with the Gambling Commission to ensure that their investigation can conclude swiftly and transparently." Who are the 15 people charged? • Simon Chatfield, 51, from Farnham• Russell George, 50, from Newtown, Wales (suspended Welsh Conservative Senedd member for Montgomeryshire)• Amy Hind, 34, from Loughton, Essex• Anthony Hind, 36, from Loughton, Essex• Jeremy Hunt, 55, from Horley (a former police officer, not the ex-chancellor)• Thomas James, 38, from Brecon, Wales• Charlotte Lang, 36, from Brixton• Anthony Lee, 47, Bristol (known as Tony, former director of Conservative Party campaigning)• Iain Makepeace, 47, from Newcastle Upon Tyne• Nick Mason, 51, from Gillingham (former Conservative Party chief data officer)• Paul Place, 53, from Hammersmith, London• Laura Saunders, 37, from Bristol (Tony Lee's wife and Conservative 2024 candidate for Bristol North West who was then dropped)• James Ward, 40, from east London• Craig Williams, 39, from Llanfair Caereinion, Welshpool• Jacob Willmer, 39, from Richmond, London. Labour candidate Kevin Craig was included in the investigation after placing a bet that he would lose his bid to become an MP, but was cleared of any wrongdoing in December. Ellie Reeves, chair of the Labour Party, said: "This is a very serious development. The British people will expect that anyone found guilty of wrongdoing faces the full force of the law. "Kemi Badenoch must make crystal clear that anyone found guilty of using insider information to cheat the system to try to enrich themselves has no place in the Conservative Party. No ifs, no buts. "Labour is turning the page on 14 years of Conservative chaos and scandal and we're turning our country round through our Plan for Change. Only Labour can be trusted to deliver security for working people and the renewal Britain needs." Met Police investigation After the Gambling Commission began its investigation last June, the Metropolitan Police opened an inquiry into whether anyone had committed misconduct in public office. In August 2024, the Met said it would not be charging anyone, but several politicians and police officers remained under investigation by the Gambling Commission into whether they had broken criminal gambling laws.

James Dornan, 72, said the incident still sticks to him "like a curse". Speaking to The National newspaper, the politician said he was walking the streets of Battlefield in 1968 in the southside of Glasgow when one of his friends ran across the road and challenged two young boys. He said he then ran over and punched one of the boys, who was later hit with a weapon by one of his friends, leaving him seriously injured. His charge was later reduced to common assault and he received a £15 fine and two years' probation. The MSP for Glasgow Cathcart said he decided to open up about the ordeal 57 years later due to the release of the hit Netflix drama Adolescence. The series follows a 13-year-old boy arrested over the murder of a young girl and the impact it has on his family. Mr Dornan said he has not watched the show, explaining: "I find this quite traumatic and very difficult emotionally to look at something that triggers things that have happened in my past, having just seen the clips. "When you're a young man, you do things without thinking of the repercussions and then the repercussions just expand, and everyone is caught up in it. "I didn't want to see two actors playing a very emotional role that I could see being my mum and dad. "Stephen Graham is a magnificent actor. He acts with his heart, and I think that's why I would've found it very difficult. He reminds me of my dad." Read more:How incel culture influenced new Netflix showPrime minister hosts creators of hit Netflix drama Mr Dornan said he felt "shame and fear" following the incident. He said: "The first bad bit was when my dad came down (to the police station) because my dad was straight as a die and this sort of thing was just awful. "I felt shame and fear. I felt shame my mum would be suffering but also that my dad was going to have to go through this and at the same time I felt fear because I had no idea what was going to happen to me. "I am now 57 years away from that incident and I still feel responsible for lots of things that have happened because of it, how people felt because of that incident. "I don't think about it all the time but one of the problems I've got is I carry guilt about with me. It sticks with you like a curse. It never leaves you." 👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 Mr Dornan praised the show's message around toxic masculinity. He said: "It astounds me that we've now created a society where big sections think the denigration of women is acceptable behaviour. "That's what I like about Adolescence. I hope it will engender the debate."

Scotland's first minister partially lifted the salary freeze - which was introduced by former SNP leader Alex Salmond in 2009 - to coincide with the start of the new tax year. All ministers will receive £19,126 extra from this month, taking the salary of a cabinet secretary to £116,125 and a junior minister to £100,575. It comes as many Scots are being forced to tighten their belts amid surging household bills, including council tax rises of up to 15.6%. Mr Swinney denied he made the decision to partially lift the pay freeze in a bid to entice SNP MPs from Westminster to Holyrood. It comes as many prominent MSPs have announced they plan to step down ahead of the Scottish parliament elections in 2026. The list includes former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon, Finance Secretary Shona Robison and Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop During a news conference at Bute House in Edinburgh on Monday, Mr Swinney said: "I had no discussions with Westminster colleagues about that decision." The freeze on the ministerial element will continue, but ministers are now able to receive their full MSP entitlement. The first minister said the 16-year freeze was "necessary", adding: "But I've applied the principle of fairness that I think all members of the Scottish parliament should be able to take the salary to which they are entitled. "I've reflected on my own position as the decision-maker and I've decided that, so that people don't think that I've taken a decision from which I benefit personally, that I'll leave my salary - MSP and ministerial - frozen, so there's no sense that I'm benefiting from decisions that I believe is fair to take for others." MSP Craig Hoy, the Scottish Conservatives' shadow finance secretary, branded the SNP's performance in office as "uniformly dismal". He added: "Nationalist politicians have made a mess of everything they touch - our NHS, education, housing, policing and transport - while stifling the economy, pushing through savage cuts and making Scotland the highest-taxed part of the UK." John O'Connell, chief executive of TaxPayers' Alliance, said "Scots will be absolutely seething". He added: "The public realm is in a miserable state in Scotland, with politicians abjectly failing to deliver on voters' priorities, while also hammering taxpayers with some of the highest bills in the UK. "If these ministers had any shame they'd be abandoning this pay rise and would not consider another one until they've delivered a boost in living standards, measured by GDP per capita." Read more from Sky News:What next for British Steel?Rise in suicide attempts linked to HMRC tax crackdown During the media conference, Mr Swinney also announced the Scottish government's legislative programme will be published earlier than usual on 6 May to allow for a "full year of delivery" ahead of the 2026 elections. He said the legislative programme would make it easier to get appointments with GPs, adding that a "corner has been turned" on NHS performance. Mr Swinney said: "I know people are tired and anxious, desperate for light at the end of the tunnel, and that's why I want us to be prepared rather than simply scared. "Advice and activity in the face of this latest challenge, rather than just anxious. And it's why I want us to be united and creative in our response, to ensure that we are as resilient as we possibly can be. "You can put tariffs on many things, but you can't put them on ingenuity and common purpose. "The programme for government will be laser-focused on delivery. It will set out what I believe my government can and will deliver for the people in Scotland over the coming year." Mr Swinney said he had spoken to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other devolved leaders on Friday about US President Donald Trump's tariffs. He said while the call had been constructive, the UK government should do "much more to protect Scotland's economic interests". Mr Swinney said he will convene a meeting of business leaders and trade unions this week to discuss how to respond to the "emerging economic realities". The first minister also stated that the Grangemouth oil refinery should be nationalised by the UK government in light of action taken at the British Steel site at Scunthorpe. He urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to relax her fiscal rules, adding: "If British Steel is to be nationalised to protect it, then so too should Grangemouth".

Ms Siddiq told reporters outside her home that she is the "victim of a politically motivated smear campaign". Politics live: China issues first statement after UK takes control of British Steel Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sought the warrant over allegations Ms Siddiq received a 7,200sq ft plot of land in the country's capital, Dhaka. Ms Siddiq's lawyers on Sunday told Sky News the allegations are "completely false", adding there was "no basis at all for any charges to be made against her". On Monday, Ms Siddiq said no one from the Bangladeshi authorities has contacted her and said she was facing a "trial by media". "I can't dignify this politically motivated smear campaign with any comment," she said, alleging authorities are "trying to harass me". There is "no evidence I've done anything wrong", she added. Ms Siddiq is the niece of Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was deposed last summer following an uprising against her 20-year leadership. The Labour MP resigned as a Treasury minister earlier this year following an investigation by the prime minister's ethics adviser into her links to her aunt's Awami League administration, which is facing corruption allegations in Bangladesh. Ms Siddiq was not found to have breached the ministerial code. However, the prime minister's ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus said it was "regrettable" she was not more "alert to the potential reputational risks" arising from her close family's association with Bangladesh. At the time, Sir Keir Starmer praised Ms Siddiq for making the "difficult decision" to resign and said "the door remains open for you" going forward. Asked if there could be a way back for her following the latest developments, the prime minister's official spokesman today said: "We don’t comment on individual legal cases." Ms Siddiq has been an MP since 2015 and is probably best known for campaigning for the release of her constituent Nazanin Zaghari Ratcliffe, who was detained in Iran for six years. She came under pressure over her links to her aunt at the beginning of the year but has consistently denied wrongdoing. Ms Siddiq has also faced questions over properties in London she has lived in or lives in which are allegedly linked to her aunt's allies. A Conservative Party spokesman said Ms Siddiq "should immediately stand down as a Labour MP" if she is the subject of an arrest warrant in Bangladesh.

Wera Hobhouse told Sky News Breakfast with Leah Boleto that she had no warning she was on a "blacklist" when she flew out last week to meet her newborn grandson. She landed at Hong Kong airport on Thursday after a 13-hour flight - only to be detained by security, questioned, and put on a return flight to the UK, The Sunday Times first reported. Politics latest: Follow live updates Ms Hobhouse told Sky News: "No explanation was given to me ever. And this is what is so chilling and should really be a wake-up call for any parliamentarian because I had no warning that I was on a blacklist." She added that she hopes the government will "push for an explanation" and find out "whether there is such a blacklist and what it is that they don't like about me". The MP said she suspects it happened because she is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac). although she said she has "not been more outspoken than other MPs about criticising the Chinese Communist Party". "Therefore, anybody who is seen as standing up for freedom, democracy and human rights should feel that they are going to be targeted by the Chinese authorities and that is really, really chilling," she said. China has previously banned other Ipac members, including Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Nusrat Ghani, as well as former security minister Tom Tugendhat. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called on the foreign secretary to summon the Chinese ambassador in the wake of the decision, which he described as "heartless" and "totally unacceptable". In a letter to David Lammy, he asked the minister to uncover "why a British MP and her family have been treated in such an appalling way". "We are sure you will agree that this is a deeply concerning situation," Sir Ed said. "The UK cannot allow the Chinese government to attempt to undermine our democracy by intimidating our parliamentarians." Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also called the situation "really worrying" and said that Mr Lammy "does need to call the Chinese ambassador in today to have a conversation." Read more from Sky NewsWho are the Labour MPs rejected from Israel?Emergency bill to protect British SteelPalestinian activist can be deported Mr Lammy previously described Ms Hobhouse's experience as "deeply concerning" and said he would "urgently raise" the issues with authorities in both Hong Kong and Beijing to "demand an explanation". On Monday, a government spokesperson said Douglas Alexander, the minister for trade, raised concerns during a visit to mainland Chin and Hong Kong about Ms Hobhouse's denial of entry. The minister "demanded an explanation with senior Chinese and Hong Kong interlocutors including Hong Kong's Chief Secretary for Administration, to understand why the Hong Kong authorities refused access to a British MP", the spokesperson said: They added: "It is deeply concerning that a UK MP was refused permission to enter Hong Kong last week. Unjustified restrictions on the freedom of movement for UK citizens into Hong Kong only serves to further undermine Hong Kong's international reputation and the important people-people connections between the UK and Hong Kong. "As the foreign secretary has made clear, and minister Alexander relayed in person, it would be unacceptable for any MP to be denied entry for simply expressing their views." It comes after two Labour MPs were denied entry to Israel last week. Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed were deported from the country due to comments they had made about the conflict in Gaza. They were suspected of planning to "document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israeli hatred", according to Israel's immigration ministry.