Craig Williams, a former British Conservative MP who used his insider knowledge when betting on when then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would call elections, today pleaded guilty to charges accusing him of gambling fraud.
Williams, who served as Sunak’s personal parliamentary secretary, is one of about fifteen people charged in the betting scandal over the timing of the most recent British elections, which were held in 2024.
Betting on elections is legal in the United Kingdom, and it is especially popular to wager on the date of elections, which is determined by the prime minister. MPs are also allowed to place bets, but not when they possess insider knowledge about the subject of the bet.
Sunak surprised many in May 2024 when he scheduled the elections for July 4, as many had expected him to wait until autumn.
The announcement of the election date itself was a fiasco. Sunak read it out while standing in pouring rain outside Downing Street, and it soon emerged that several people connected to the then-ruling Conservative Party had placed bets at suspiciously timed moments. Six weeks later, Labour swept the Conservatives from power after 14 years of Conservative rule.
Williams (41), who attended meetings where the election date was discussed, admitted today before the Southwark Crown Court that he used confidential information to secure a gambling win. He placed three bets ranging from £22.50 ($29) to £250 ($331), prosecutors said.
This Conservative official, who lost his parliamentary seat in Wales in 2024, later admitted that he had placed a £100 ($132) bet on the elections being held in July before the day Sunak announced the date.
„I made an error of judgment, not an offense, and I want to apologize to you directly,“ Williams said in a video confession he posted on social media in June 2024.
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