A senior aide to Rishi Sunak has admitted that the Gambling Commission are making inquiries after he reportedly placed a bet on the date of the general election.
Tory candidate Craig Williams, who was the prime minister’s Parliamentary Private Secretary in the last Parliament, said he would cooperate with the probe.
In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: “I’ve been contacted by a journalist about Gambling Commission inquiries into one of my accounts and thought it best to be totally transparent.
“I put a flutter on the general election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine inquiries and I confirm I will fully cooperate with these.
“I don’t want to be a distraction from the campaign, I should have thought through how it looked.”
According to the Guardian, external, Mr Williams – who is standing for election in Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr – placed a £100 bet on a July election just three days before Mr Sunak named 4 July as the date.
The newspaper reported that the bet could have led to a payout of £500, following the election in July.
The BBC has not yet been able to verify that he placed a bet on the election date but has contacted Mr Williams for a comment.
Labour called the allegations “utterly extraordinary”.
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said the prime minister should suspend Mr Williams immediately as a candidate and Conservative member while inquiries take place.
“Voters are being taken for granted by Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives”, she added.