By David Deans, Political reporter, BBC Wales News
BBCA Conservative Welsh Parliament member being investigated over a bet on the timing of the general election is to step back from a Senedd job.
Russell George was the fifth Conservative to be unveiled as facing inquiries from the Gambling Commission.
Following the announcement on Tuesday, Mr George is to temporarily leave his paid job as chair of the Senedd’s health committee.
The Member of the Senedd (MS) for Montgomeryshire has turned down a request from BBC Wales for an interview, but said he would co-operate fully with the commission.
He had already withdrawn from his frontbench spokesperson role as a shadow minister for mid Wales.
There have been calls for the politician – who remains a Tory MS – to be removed from the Welsh Conservative group.
The investigation into Mr George followed news that his local party colleague Craig Williams had lost support from the Conservative party for the general election.
He remains a candidate for the election in the newly-named seat of Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr.
Mr Williams is also being investigated over a bet on the timing of the election – he said on Tuesday he had “committed an error of judgement, not an offence”.
The BBC’s political editor Chris Mason reported that Mr George’s bet, placed online for a July election, was placed more than a week before the election was called and neither man was aware of the other’s bet.
It is not known how much Mr George bet or what the odds were. Mr George and Mr Williams share a constituency office in Welshpool.
Mr George’s standard Senedd salary of £72,057 was topped up with an additional salary of £14,636 for his work as chair of the health committee – coming to a total of £86,693.
The committee scrutinises the Welsh government’s health policy, and any health legislation it puts through the Senedd.
On Tuesday, Mr George said: “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.”
In a statement on Tuesday Welsh Labour campaign chair Jessica Morden said: “It took Rishi Sunak almost two weeks to take action on one of his Conservative candidates. How long will it take Andrew RT Davies to suspend Russell George?”
Plaid’s Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “You couldn’t make this up. Hours after backing dropped candidate Craig Williams after another betting scandal, Russell George is found to have done the exact same thing.
“He should have the whip withdrawn from the Welsh Conservative Senedd group at once.”
Reform’s Oliver Lewis, who is standing in Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, claimed the Conservatives were suffering “institutional rot”, adding: “We demand the Welsh Conservative whip be removed from Mr George pending conclusion of the investigation.”
A spokesperson for the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: “Time and time again we have seen the Conservatives more in scandal while the issues facing the country get worse.”
