NEWS STORY : Former Conservative MP Craig Williams Charged in Election Betting Scandal
STORY
Craig Williams, former Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire and ex-Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, has been charged with gambling offences related to bets placed on the timing of the 2024 general election. The Gambling Commission announced that Williams is among 15 individuals facing charges under the Gambling Act 2005 for allegedly using insider information to gain an unfair advantage in betting markets. The investigation, initiated in June 2024, scrutinised bets placed shortly before then Prime Minister Sunak’s unexpected announcement of a July 4 election. Williams admitted to placing a £100 bet on May 19, 2024, just days before the public declaration, calling it a “huge error of judgment.”
Other individuals charged include Russell George, a member of the Welsh Senedd; Nick Mason, former chief data officer for the Conservative Party; Laura Saunders, a Conservative candidate and wife of the party’s campaign director Tony Lee; and a former police officer. All are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 13, 2025. The scandal has raised serious concerns about ethical conduct within political circles. Foreign Secretary David Cameron previously described Williams’s actions as “very foolish,” while Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove likened the controversy to the damaging ‘Partygate’ scandal.
