The Conservative candidate for the upcoming General Election has vowed to fight on but admits he will have to “regain” the trust of voters if he is to retain his Montgomeryshire seat.
Last night it emerged that Craig Williams had allegedly placed a £100 bet on a July date for the election, just three days before it was announced by his close friend Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister.
It has caused a major embarrassment for the Conservative party at both a local and national level, with the election on July 4 just three weeks away.
And following an uncomfortable street interview with the BBC earlier today, Mr Williams has issued a statement tonight to apologise for his “stupid error of judgement”.
“As I’ve said, I made a stupid error of judgement for which I apologise,” he said.
“I will be working hard to regain the trust of the people of Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr over the next few weeks.
“I hope that over the last five years as MP for Montgomeryshire – and before being elected too, that I have demonstrated my love and complete dedication to our area and its residents.
“I look forward to a satisfactory and quick resolution of the routine inquiries currently being undertaken. Whilst that independent process is ongoing, I am unable to comment further at this time.”
Rival candidates have been quick to criticise Mr Williams, and senior figures have also come out to have a go, including former Prime Minister David Cameron who called him “very foolish”.
This morning the Electoral Commission told us that due to the deadline passing for candidates, should Mr Williams have decided to stand down, it would have been too late for the Conservatives to field a replacement.
The candidates (in no particular order):
Plaid Cymru: Elwyn Vaughan
Labour: Steve Witherden
Liberal Democrats: Glyn Preston
Reform UK: Oliver Lewis
Conservatives: Craig Williams
Green Party: Jeremy Brignell-Thorp