MID Wales MS Russell George is being investigated by a gambling watchdog over alleged bets over the date of the General Election.

In a statement this evening, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies MS told The Pembrokeshire Herald: “Russell George has informed me that he has received a letter from the Gambling Commission regarding bets on the timing of the General Election.

“Russell George has stepped back from the Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet while these investigations are ongoing.

“All other Members of the Welsh Conservative Group have confirmed that they have not placed any bets.

“I will not issue further comment on this ongoing process, recognising the Gambling Commission’s instruction for confidentiality to protect the integrity of the process.”

Montgomeryshire MS, Mr George said in a statement: “Whilst I will cooperate fully with the Gambling Commission, it would not be appropriate to comment on this independent and confidential process.

“Doing so would only jeopardise and undermine the investigation.

“It is the Gambling Commission, not the media, that has the responsibility, powers and resources to properly investigate these matters and determine what, if any, action should be taken.

“I have stepped back from the Shadow Cabinet while the investigation is ongoing. I have done this as I do not wish to be an unnecessary distraction to their work.

“As such I will not be providing any further public comment on this until the Gambling Commission has concluded its work.”

The announcement comes on the same day the Conservative party officially withdrew their support for prospective candidate in Montgomery and Glyndwr, Craig Williams.

CEREDIGION Preseli general election hopefuls have outlined why you should vote for them on July 4.

As part of constituency changes, bits of north Pembrokeshire – including St Davids and– are joining the new Mid and South Pembrokeshire constituency.

Other parts of the north of the county are now in the new Ceredigion Preseli constituency; which extends up past Aberystwyth and also includes Cilgerran, Crymych, St Dogmaels, Fishguard and Llanrhian.

There’s now a 15-candidate battle for the two seats, eight in Mid and South Pembrokeshire and seven in Ceredigion Preseli.

With a July 4 date set for the general election, candidates for the new Ceredigion Preseli seat are: Ben Lake for Plaid Cymru, Liberal Democrat Mark Williams, Welsh Labour’s Jackie Jones, Conservative Aled Thomas, Tomos Barlow for the Green Party, Karl Robert Pollard for Reform UK, and Taghrid Al-Mawed for the Workers Party of Britain.

Plaid Cymru candidate, Ben Lake, elected as MP for the Ceredigion constituency in 2017, said: “As someone deeply rooted in this constituency, I understand the unique challenges that our rural communities face. We are fortunate to live in such a remarkable place, but our needs are often forgotten and ignored.

“The last seven years have been challenging for several reasons but during these difficult times I have stood up for my constituents both at Westminster and locally, helping over 5,000 constituents with casework since 2020 and raising their concerns in Parliament on over 1,000 occasions.

“Having a strong, local voice is essential to hold any government to account and to demand a fairer, more prosperous society for our rural communities.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Mark Williams, a former MP for Ceredigion, said: “I started my working life working for Geraint Howells formerly MP for Ceredigion and Pembroke North.

“Unashamedly, I am seeking to be a constituency-focused MP always putting the interest of local people first. My family and I live here, we use local services, and I know the issues that matter to local people.

“As a Liberal Democrat I am committed to campaign for fairer funding for our Senedd to support our critical public services, a fairer deal for carers and support for our family farms. As a teacher in a village school, I see day in day out the lack of funding for our schools. Being an MP is not an easy job, I have done it before, and with your support hope to again.”

Green Party candidate and Aberystwyth student Tomos Barlow said: “Electors should know that there is a crisis in this constituency. As we’re seeing a dying planet, public services crumbling, a lack of jobs and job insecurity rampant in our area, we need a party who can bring those innovative ideas that can tackle these issues at the core.

“With the other parties promising more of the same, a vote for me and the Green Party is a vote for a better future with true hope and true change, as well as a young persons’ perspective on the issues that we are facing as a constituency.”

Workers Party of Britain candidate Taghrid Al-Mawed said: “Firstly because I am one of them, I am a housewife who wants to work for the people of the constituency and not a party.

“The people here need change, away from the establishment parties that are doing nothing for the area. I can see it, I can feel it. I am part of a party that puts the people first, not the party’s needs. I want to represent the people and not be part of a single-party dominated constituency that has an AM, an MP and a county council all run by one party that does nothing but protect itself and puts the party first people second.”

All candidates were contacted and asked why they should gain your vote. Jackie Jones, Aled Thomas and Karl Robert Pollard did not respond to requests for comment.

The candidates have also been contacted for further responses on subjects to come; the next two being the cost-of-living crisis/the economy and agriculture/the countryside.

A HIGH-PROFILE barrister backed plans to make it a criminal offence for Senedd members and candidates to deliberately deceive the public.

Sam Fowles, of Cornerstone Barristers, gave evidence on former Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price’s proposals to disqualify politicians from the Senedd for deliberate lying.

The lawyer was involved in the Miller case against the then-Prime Minister over the propagation of the UK parliament and appeals that exposed the Horizon Post Office scandal.

Mick Antoniw, the Welsh Government’s counsel general or chief legal adviser, last week raised concerns the deception proposals are “unworkable”.

But Dr Fowles told members of the Senedd’s standards committee: “I would be very, very confident if I was asked to defend this in a judicial review.”

He described the proposals, which are set out in clause 64 of the elections and elected bodies bill, as clearly drafted and drawing on long-established legal principles.

Vikki Howells, who chairs the committee, raised concerns about the practical ramifications of criminalisation, suggesting it may be best left to the “robust” standards process.

Dr Fowles said deliberate deception fundamentally undermines confidence in democracy, pointing out that ministers and candidates sit outside of the Senedd’s regime.

Stressing the importance of independence, the barrister warned: “As is recognised in law, the appearance of a lack of objectivity is as damaging as a lack of objectivity itself.”

He said the matter is best decided by the courts, rather than by politicians appearing to sit in judgement on themselves, because it is more likely to give the public confidence.

Jennifer Nadel, co-director of Compassion in Politics, a cross-party think tank, warned faith in democracy and the political class is at an all-time low.

“This has overwhelming public support,” she said, highlighting an Opinium poll which found 72% in favour of similar measures on deception with only 7% opposed.

The journalist contrasted the example of a car salesperson knowingly selling a deathtrap, saying they have to face the consequences unlike politicians who mislead.

She described deliberate deception as fraud on the electorate that pollutes the public space and threatens to undermine the very nature of democracy.

Ms Nadel pointed out that Labour’s commitment to a Hillsborough law would introduce a duty of candour on civil servants that could be enforced through criminal courts.

She said it would be invidious for officials to face a higher duty than their political masters.

Asked by Peredur Owen Griffiths about the interplay with other legislation, Dr Fowles said a review found the proposals would not clash with defamation or human rights law.

He said an offence of deception would not create friction with Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights on freedom of expression.

He told the Plaid Cymru politician: “This seems to me a quintessential example of something that is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.”

Dr Fowles said defences listed in clause 64, such as for statements that can be reasonably inferred to be a matter of opinion or analysis, insert a safety valve for accused politicians.

The witnesses raised Singapore, Austria and Western Australia as examples of international best practice, firing a warning shot to extreme leaders who make false statements.

The Conservatives’ Natasha Asghar raised the risk of an avalanche of malicious  complaints against politicians and would-be members of the Senedd.

Dr Fowles accepted malicious complaints are inevitable in any criminal or civil law but he expected vexatious and frivolous grievances to be “booted out very quickly”.

He said it is easy to infer motivation for malicious complaints and people will be reluctant due to the risks of prosecution for wasting police time or perverting the course of justice.

Ms Nadel agreed, saying the police and CPS will ensure the law cannot be abused by filtering out frivolous complaints and bringing cases in the public interest.

She said while a new hate crime law in Scotland led to 7,000 reports in its first week, which stuck in the public consciousness, but the number of reports has plummeted since.

Labour’s Mark Drakeford questioned the effectiveness of clause 64 in dealing with hard-to-distinguish cases “where fact and opinion collide”.

The former First Minister suggested deliberate deception should be dealt with under a recall process which would allow the public to remove Senedd members between elections.

Dr Fowles described the courts as the ultimate fact-finding forum, saying: “I think it’s proper to take these questions outside the realms of political combat.”

He told the committee political deception is akin to political bribery as he warned that public trust in politicians has fallen further since the introduction of Westminster’s recall system.

Highlighting an Ipsos poll, headlined “British public wrong about nearly everything”, the legal expert said: “A big part of that is because they have been misinformed.”

Ms Nadel opposed dealing with deception by recall, saying it could become a popularity contest with voters unwilling to sanction a demagogue despite dishonest statements.

She said: “It’s part of declaring the rules of the game rather than something that people can really decide ‘well, it wasn’t such a bad case of fraud’.”

Ms Neadel, also a former barrister, said polls show one in five people do not believe a single word politicians say – with only 3% believing more than 80% of what they hear.

She warned: “Facts are facts and we are at a very dangerous moment in history.”

Dr Fowles said clause 64 would help ensure politicians tell the truth, concluding: “It’s only by giving the public that guarantee that we can start to restore trust in politics.”

A crunch vote will be held during a three-hour debate about the proposals on July 2.