Craig Williams: Ex-MP Charged Over Election Bets
A former member of parliament (MP) is among 15 people charged with betting offences relating to last year’s general election timing.
Election betting offences are in the headlines in the UK again. © WOKANDAPIX, Pixabay
Key Facts:
- Craig Williams, 39, was the MP for Montgomeryshire but lost his seat at the 2024 election
- Williams was also an aide to then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
- Other Conservative Party staff members have also been charged following an investigation that was initiated in June 2024
- Russell George, a Senedd Member, is among those charged
Craig Williams was an aide to the then-Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, at the time when the government called the general election.
Williams was the MP for Montgomeryshire, but lost his seat in the election, finishing in third place behind Labour and Reform.
He is accused of using confidential information – which the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) says relates to having advanced knowledge of the proposed election date – to gain an unfair advantage in betting markets.
This is an offence of cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, a criminal offence, with Williams now set to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in June.
Party Staff Also Charged
Williams is the most high-profile of the 15 people to be charged with the betting offences.
Others include Laura Saunders, a parliamentary candidate for the Conservatives in the seat of Bristol North West, and her partner Anthony Lee, who worked for the party as director of campaigning.
Russell George, a current Member of the Senedd, has also been charged. Following the announcement from UKGC, George was suspended from the Welsh Conservative group.
Responding to the news, Welsh Conservatives leader Darren Millar described the suspension of George as “a neutral act pending the outcome of the justice process”.
Other senior staff members for the Conservative Party, such as Simon Chatfield, the former chief marketing officer, and Nick Mason, a former chief data officer who is also a councillor in Herefordshire, have also been charged.
Iain Makepeace, chief head of design and print for the Conservative Party, has been charged along with the director of the Welsh Conservatives, Thomas James.
Suspended With Immediate Effect
A spokesperson said that any current Conservative Party staff members have been suspended.
They said in a statement released to the media that the party “believes that those working in politics must act with integrity”.
The spokesperson added: “Current members of staff who have been charged are being suspended with immediate effect.”
“These incidents took place in May last year. Our party is now under new leadership and we are cooperating fully with the Gambling Commission to ensure that their investigation can conclude swiftly and transparently.”
Former police officer Jeremy Hunt, 55, has also been charged with betting offences relating to the timing of the 2024 election, which Labour won.
A Met Police spokesperson confirmed that he had been “attached to the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command at the time of his alleged offending”.
