ADVERTISEMENTA former Conservative lawmaker is among 15 people who have been charged with cheating over bets placed on the timing of the UK’s 2024 general election.
Craig Williams, who was the MP for Montgomeryshire and parliamentary private secretary to ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the time he placed the bet, was one of several individuals investigated for cashing in on insider knowledge on the date that Sunak would call the election.
It’s legal for politicians and party officials in the UK to wager on elections, but the investigation examined whether they used inside information to gain an unfair advantage.
Sunak took most by surprise when he announced in May last year that he was setting the election date for 4 July — most had expected that it would not take place until after the summer.
The other individuals facing charges included Russell George, a Conservative member of the Welsh parliament; Thomas James, the director of the Welsh Conservatives; Simon Chatfield, a former chief marketing officer for the party; and Anthony Lee, a former Conservative campaign director, the Gambling Commission said on Monday.
A former police officer was also among those charged with cheating, which carries a potential two-year prison sentence in the case of a conviction.
The probe, launched in June 2024, specifically probed “individuals suspected of using confidential information — specifically advance knowledge of the proposed election date — to gain an unfair advantage in betting markets”, the Gambling Commission said.
Williams has previously admitted to placing a £100 (€116) bet on a July election three days before Sunak announced the date of the poll.
“I committed an error of judgment, not an offence, and I want to reiterate my apology directly to you,” he said in a video posted on social media in June.
The bet could have resulted in a £500 (€580) payout with odds of 5/1. Williams lost his seat in the election, coming third.
Those charged are due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on 13 June, the Gambling Commission said.
The scandal — which emerged following a report in the Guardian newspaper about alleged bets placed on a July election days before Sunak’s announcement — was embarrassing for the party, which was subsequently driven out of power for the first time in 14 years by Labour.
The newspaper reported at the time that it understood that Ladbrokes had automatically raised a red flag following Williams’ bet as he was a “politically exposed person”.
“The Conservative Party believes that those working in politics must act with integrity,” the party spokesperson said. “Current members of staff who have been charged are being suspended with immediate effect.”
