British Prime Minister Sunak says he's 'incredibly' angry over election date betting accusations

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday that he was 'incredibly angry' to learn of allegations that Conservative politicians betted on the election date, and that they 'should face the full force of the law' if they were found to have broken the law.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday that anyone involved in using inside information to bet on the date of Britain's July 4 national election should be expelled from his Conservative Party.

Sunak said on the BBC that he was "incredibly angry, incredibly angry" to learn of allegations that Conservative politicians betted on the election date, and that they "should face the full force of the law" if they were found to have broken the law.

"It's right that they are being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities," he said. "If anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party."

Two weeks ahead of the general election, it was an uncomfortable experience for Sunak, whose Conservative Party is trailing the main opposition Labour Party -- by 20 points by many polls -- ahead of the vote.

Earlier, asked about reports that the U.K.'s Gambling Commission was investigating a second Conservative candidate for placing a bet on the timing of the election, housing minister Michael Gove told the BBC that if people used inside information to bet, it would be "deeply wrong."

"What I can't do is sort of get too much into the detail of the case while an investigation is going on," Gove said. "But I can talk about the broad principle and you're absolutely right, it's reprehensible."

Sunak announced on May 22 that parliamentary elections would be held on July 4. The date had been a closely guarded secret and many, even those in Sunak's governing Conservative Party, were taken by surprise as a vote had been expected in the fall.