On Thursday, the BBC reported that Laura Saunders, a Tory parliamentary candidate, was also being investigated by the Gambling Commission over an election bet.

She is the wife of Tony Lee, the Conservative Party’s director of campaigning, who is also being looked at by the commission and has taken a “leave of absence” from his post following the revelations.

In a statement released on Ms Saunders’ behalf, Nama Zarroug, a solicitor at Astraea Linskills, said: “As the Conservative Party has already stated, investigations are ongoing. Ms Saunders will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission, and has nothing further to add.

“It is inappropriate to conduct any investigation of this kind via the media, and doing so risks jeopardising the work of the Gambling Commission and the integrity of its investigation.

“The publication of the BBC’s story is premature, and is a clear infringement of Ms Saunders’ privacy rights. She is considering legal action against the BBC and any other publishers who infringe her privacy rights.”

A police officer working in Mr Sunak’s close protection team has been arrested as part of an inquiry into bets on the timing of the election.