Insider Information
The United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) has charged fifteen people, including former Conservative MP Craig Williams, with betting offences. The charges relate to suspicious betting activities during the 2024 UK election, which took place on July 4th last year.
The UKGC investigated suspicious betting patterns across several markets related to the 2024 General Election. The story initially broke last June when an investigation by The Guardian revealed that Tory MP Craig Williams had placed a suspicious bet on the election's date.
It was alleged that Williams, along with a handful of others, had placed bets on the date of the election. Others involved in the scandal included Laura Saunders, the Conservative candidate for Bristol North, and Russell George, a Tory member of the Welsh Parliament. Williams and George were the MPs and representatives of the same area, Montgomeryshire, South Wales.
Williams, who was elected to office for the first time in 2015, was Rishi Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary and may have been exposed to key information regarding the election announcement. While the odds and bets have not been publicised, given the surprise announcement of the election, Williams is likely to have made a considerable profit.
Conservative Party Reaction
All fifteen people charged are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on June 13th this year. The sentencing guidelines suggest they could face a heavy fine or up to two years in jail, depending on the severity of the crime.
The other people charged in the case included Simon Chatfield, a former Conservative Party chief marketing officer, and Jeremy Hunt, a member of the Metropolitan police. It is understood that up to seven other police officers were investigated, but that no charges were brought against them.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has said that there is no place for these types of scandals in the Conservative Party and has condemned the acts of all involved. Badenoch was appointed leader of the party on November 2nd following Rishi Sunak’s resignation earlier that year.
