Following on from the latest mishaps to befall Rishi Sunak, it was revealed that Craig Williams, his PPS, placed a £100 bet on a July election three days before the announcement that very few people knew about.
Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide placed a £100 bet on a July election just three days before the prime minister named the date, the Guardian can reveal.
The Gambling Commission is understood to have launched an inquiry after Craig Williams, the prime minister’s parliamentary private secretary, who became an MP in 2019, placed a bet with the bookmaker Ladbrokes on Sunday 19 May in his local constituency of Montgomeryshire.
On 22 May, Sunak made the surprise announcement that a general election would be held on 4 July. In a statement, Williams said: “I’ve been contacted by a journalist about Gambling Commission inquiries into one of my accounts and thought it best to be totally transparent.
“I don’t want it to be a distraction from the campaign, I should have thought how it looks.”
A Conservative party spokesperson added: “We are aware of contact between a Conservative candidate and the Gambling Commission.
“It is a personal matter for the individual in question. As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”
It is understood that a red flag was automatically raised by Ladbrokes as the bet in Williams’ name was potentially placed by a “politically exposed person”, and the bookmaker is particularly cautious over “novelty” markets.
The £100 bet, which could have led to a £500 payout on odds of 5/1, is believed to have been placed via an online account that would have required the user to provide personal details including their date of birth and debit card. The bookmaker also knows the location of the bet.
Ladbrokes referred the case to the Gambling Commission, which is understood to have launched an inquiry. The Guardian understands the regulator informed Downing Street officials last week. Using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting may constitute a criminal offence.
Separately, the MPs’ code of conduct prohibits members from “causing significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the house”. The bet was placed while parliament was still in session.
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said: “These allegations are utterly extraordinary. Rishi Sunak has sat on this information for more than a week but has lacked any backbone to take action. Once again Rishi Sunak has been exposed as utterly weak.
“After all the Tory financial scandals, this is more evidence that the Tories have learned nothing, haven’t changed, and if given five more years, the chaos will just continue.”
The Guardian, 12 June 2024
This has refused to go away, with one of the Met police’s close protection officers having been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegedly placing bets on the timing of the election. The Met are preparing for further arrests. The initial PPS, Craig Williams and another candidate, Laura Saunders have been suspended by the Conservatives. This means that they can still stand for Parliament but have had the Conservative whip withdrawn.
The party’s chief data officer, Nick Mason, is now being probed.
All four have been referred to the Gambling Commission for formal investigation. The enquiry has been widened with speculation that many more Conservative insiders are being investigated.
This is relevant because in addition to the moral issues, the use of confidential information to gain unfair advantage when betting may constitute a criminal offence of cheating under section 42 of the Gambling Act.
Those convicted face an unlimited fine or up to two years in jail.
This just refuses to go away. The public is heartily sick of this and whilst they are afraid of what will happen under a Labour government, they cannot stomach any more of the sleaze and moral turpitude that keeps oozing from the Conservative Party. The public feel much the same as I do when I watch Australia play England at rugby, wanting both sides to lose.
Absolutely unbelievable. It just confirms everything that has been said about Sunak’s abilities and the competence of his advisors. He has got no political nous at all and is being manipulated by his advisors. In 12 months, he has led the Conservatives to a laughing stock with a combination of weak leadership and vacillation.
PS: 25 June 2024, five more serving Met police officers are now under investigation for betting on the date of the election prior to the date being announced.
