Former Tory MP Craig Williams is among 15 people who have been charged with gambling offences after placing bets into the 2024 general election.
The Gambling Commission launched a probe last summer after explosive claims emerged that a number of campaigners, candidates and others with links to the political world, had allegedly made suspicious bets on the date of the general election. Under the Gambling Act, cheats can be jailed for up to two years.
After a ten-month investigation, 15 people have now been charged and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court at 10am on June 13, 2025. At least ten of those involved had roles within the Tory party.
Mr Williams was among a number of people linked to the Conservative Party reported to have made bets on the election date, which was called by then-prime minister Rishi Sunak. The former Montgomeryshire MP admitted at the time to having a “flutter” on the election date just days before it was announced in May last year. He insisted he had committed an error of judgment, not an offence and that he intended to “clear my name”.
Among others facing charges are Russell George, the Senedd member for Montgomeryshire, Nick Mason, a former chief data officer for the Conservative Party, and Simon Chatfield, director of marketing at the Tory party. Laura Saunders, who had been the Tories’ candidate in Bristol North West before being dropped, and her husband, Tony Lee, the Tory party’s Campaigning Director, have also charged.
Former police officer Jeremy Hunt has also been charged. During the election campaign, a male police officer in Mr Sunak’s close protection team was arrested over an alleged bet on the timing of the General Election. He was suspended from his role before being arrested by police “on suspicion of misconduct in public office”.
The Gambling Commission’s investigation looked into individuals suspected of using confidential information – specifically advance knowledge of the proposed election date – to gain an unfair advantage in betting markets. Such actions constitute an offence of cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, a criminal offence.
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