Ex-UK lawmaker pleads guilty to cheating in election betting scandal
A former Conservative MP pleaded guilty on Monday to cheating at gambling by using insider information to bet on the date when then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would call a UK-wide election two years ago.
Craig Williams, Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary, was one of more than a dozen people charged in the betting scandal over the timing of Britain’s last general election.
Election gambling is legal in the UK, and betting on the prime minister’s date is a popular bet. It is legal for MPs to place bets, but not if they do not trust inside information.
Sunak surprised many when he set the election date for July 4 in May 2024; However, the general opinion was that he would wait until autumn.
Altar, Downing St. The announcement itself was a debacle, as the 10 outside was drenched in a downpour and word spread quickly that a handful of people with connections to the party had placed questionable timed bets. Six weeks later Labor dismissed the Conservatives after 14 years in power.
Williams, 41, who was at meetings while the election date was being discussed, admitted using confidential information for gambling purposes at Southwark Crown Court. Prosecutors said he placed three bets of between 22.50 ($29.80) and 250 pounds ($331).
Williams, who lost his re-election bid for his seat in Wales, later admitted he had placed a 100-pound ($132) bet on the July election days before the date was announced.
“It’s not a crime, I made an error in judgment and I want to apologize directly to you,” he said in a video posted on social media in June 2024.
Prosecutor Zoe Johnson said three additional charges Williams denied would be dropped if he is convicted at a later date.
“He has now admitted that he allegedly used highly sensitive and confidential information to place bets and make a profit,” Johnson said.
Other members of the Conservative Party, which controlled the government at the time, and a police officer are among those facing charges that could lead to a two-year prison sentence if convicted.
A dozen defendants pleaded not guilty Monday to gambling cheating charges and are due to go to trial in September 2027 and January 2028.
The wife of the Conservative Party’s deputy digital director, Anthony Hind, also pleaded guilty to betting fraud. Amy Hind, 35, will be sentenced on October 23. The charge against her husband for giving information to his wife was dropped.
