In more news from Question Time: Rishi Sunak has indicated that young people might face restrictions on access to finance or driving licences if they refuse to do national service.

Asked during a BBC Question Time special what sanctions people could face for declining to take part in the Conservative policy of compulsory national service for all 18-year-olds, the prime minister pointed to “driving licences, or the access to finance, all sorts of other things”.

Questioned on whether this could mean denying young people bank cards, he replied: “There’s lot of different models around Europe.”

In his half-hour slot on the show, following Keir Starmer, Ed Davey and John Swinney, the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Scottish National party leaders, Sunak was also repeatedly challenged on why the public should trust the Tories after 14 sometimes chaotic years in office.

He received shouts of “shame” after refusing to say he would keep Britain in the European convention on human rights.

What are the sums involved in the alleged betting scandal?

Dan Sabbagh

A week ago, the Guardian revealed that Craig Williams, Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary, an otherwise obscure politician with an intimate knowledge of Downing Street, had placed a £100 bet on his boss calling an early general election in July.

The odds were 5-1, hardly enough to be worth risking a reputation over. But even though Williams stood to gain only £500, he thought it worth placing a bet on Sunday 19 May with a rural Welsh bookmaker.

Three days later, a rain-soaked Sunak made his surprise announcement, asking the British public on 22 May: “Who do you trust?” Before that Wednesday morning, few had expected an election to be called before the summer.

The Gambling Commission has widened its investigation, looking at last-minute bets on a July election where anybody stood to gain more than the relatively modest sum of £199. Other data already suggested that several gamblers were making last-minute online bets on a surprise July election.

A Guardian analysis shows that a sudden flood of bets on a July election was placed on Tuesday 21 May on the Betfair Exchange, before Sunak had even told his own cabinet of senior politicians that the early election was going ahead.

Between January and May, an average of £27 a day was gambled on Sunak calling a general election in July, and most people bet just a few pounds on what was seen as an unlikely outcome.

Then, the day before Sunak’s announcement, a total £3,285 was gambled on Betfair in dozens of bets. Some punters stuck on hundreds of pounds, suggesting serious confidence and driving the odds down.

Although the data came from only one specialist online bookmaker, it immediately suggested the scale of bets across the whole industry may have been more substantial – as the Gambling Commission’s own inquiries appear to be bearing out.

On Monday, a police bodyguard, whose job it was to protect Sunak from terror attacks and other physical threats, was arrested after allegedly placing a bet on the timing of the election. Then on Thursday, it emerged that two more Conservatives might be involved.

Laura Saunders, the party’s candidate in Bristol North West, was under scrutiny over an election day bet, the BBC revealed. Her husband, Tony Lee, the party’s director of campaigns, was immediately placed on leave of absence, and the Conservatives were forced to admit that “a small number of individuals” were being investigated:

Rishi Sunak was asked during a leaders’ debate on BBC Question Time on Thursday evening whether the betting allegations were “the absolute epitome of the lack of ethics”.

Sunak said he was “incredibly angry” to learn of the allegations, adding that if anyone is found guilty they should “face the full force of the law” and he would “make sure they are booted out of the Conservative party”.

“I was incredibly angry – incredibly angry – to learn of these allegations,” said Sunak.

“It’s a really serious matter. It’s right that they’re being investigated properly by the relevant law enforcement authorities, including … a criminal investigation by the police.

“I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law.”

The Guardian’s Pippa Crerar and Matthew Weaver report that the UK’s gambling watchdog is examining bets allegedly placed by Laura Saunders, the Tory candidate in Bristol North West, and her husband, Tony Lee, who is now on leave of absence from his job at party headquarters.

It is not known when the alleged bets were placed or for how much money.

A Tory spokesperson said the party had been contacted by the watchdog about “a small number of individuals” who had allegedly placed bets on a July election. A party insider said they were not aware of any more cases beyond those already in the public domain.

Last week the Guardian revealed that the prime minister’s closest parliamentary aide, Craig Williams, placed a £100 bet with Ladbrokes at 5/1 on a July poll, three days before Sunak announced the date.

The Guardian later revealed that the Gambling Commission asked bookmakers to trawl through all substantial bets placed on a July election.

Saunders, who has worked for the Tories since 2015, is standing as the party’s candidate in Bristol North West, which Labour held on the old boundaries with a 5,700 majority. She has not yet commented on the allegations.

Williams, 39, is the Tory candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr in mid-Wales. He had a majority of 12,000 before the boundary change.

After the Guardian’s revelation, he apologised for placing the bet three days before Sunak announced the date, saying he had made a “huge error of judgment”. The prime minister said he was “disappointed”.

The Guardian understands the Tory party opened a formal HR process when they were notified of the watchdog’s inquiries, but has now put that on hold. Lee is on a leave of absence from party headquarters.

Good morning and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the run-up to the UK general election with me, Helen Sullivan.

With less than two weeks to go until Britons vote on 4 July, Rishi Sunak is facing a growing scandal, with a second Conservative candidate being looked into by the Gambling Commission. Appearing on Thursday night’s BBC Question Time, Sunak said if Tory figures were found to have broken gambling rules they “should face the full force of the law”.

Sunak said he was “incredibly angry to learn” of the allegations that multiple people with links to the Conservative Party or No 10 bet on the timing of the 4 July vote before he announced it.

Concerns over political insiders allegedly profiting from the election date could overshadow his campaigning on Friday, when he is at the Welsh Conservative manifesto launch in Kinmel Bay.

More on Sunak and Keir Starmer’s performances on the Question Time special shortly.

Here is what is coming up this morning:

• 7am: Scottish Conservatives campaigning in the Scottish Borders. Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross to visit Peterhead Fish Market.

• 8am: Aberdeen business hustings. Business leaders from across the region the put their questions to candidates representing the SNP, Lib Dems, Conservative and Labour parties.

• 10am: Scottish Greens general election media call with co-leader Lorna Slater in East Linton. She will join the party’s Lothian East candidate, Shona McIntosh.

• 10.30am: Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar visit Scottish business. They will campaign on Labour’s plans to boost jobs and growth across Scotland.

• Rishi Sunak is expected in Wales.

• 11.50am: Deputy first minister Kate Forbes will join the SNP candidate for Glasgow South West Chris Stephens on the campaign trail.

And tonight, Nick Robinson will interview Nigel Farage for a BBC Panorama special.

You can find me on Twitter @helenrsullivan.