As the election campaign reaches the midpoint, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continues to fight to convince the country to re-elect him but the man who acts as his eyes and ears in parliament is now being investigated for betting on the election date.
By Kieren Williams, news reporter
Rishi Sunak’s close parliamentary aide Craig Williams is facing an investigation after he bet on a July election date.
The MP served as Mr Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary, his eyes and ears in the House of Commons, and is standing again in next month’s general election.
Mr Williams placed a £100 bet on a July election just days before Mr Sunak named the date as 4 July, the Guardian first reported.
He was said to have placed the bet at a Ladbrokes in his constituency and based on odds at the time he would have won £500.
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Mr Williams admitted to putting a “flutter” on the election “some weeks ago” and said he had been contacted by the Gambling Commission.
In a statement on X, Mr Williams 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 co-operate with these.
“I don’t want it to be a distraction from the campaign. I should have thought through how it looks.”
Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth described what had happened as “utterly extraordinary”.
He said: “Rishi Sunak has sat on this information for more than a week but has lacked any backbone to take action.
“Once again, Rishi Sunak has been exposed as utterly weak.
“After all the Tory financial scandals, this is more evidence that the Tories have learned nothing, haven’t changed, and if given five more years, the chaos will just continue.”
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats called on the prime minister to suspend Mr Williams as a candidate.
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Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Not content with gambling with the country’s future, it now appears that a senior Conservative may have been trying to turn a quick buck on the election date.
“Given that Craig Williams is Rishi Sunak’s close personal aide, it is incumbent on the prime minister to immediately suspend him as a candidate and Conservative Party member while the inquiry takes place.
“Voters are being taken for granted by Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives.”
In a statement, a spokesman for the Gambling Commission said: “The Gambling Commission does not typically confirm or deny whether any investigations are under way unless or until they are concluded, or if arrests are made or charges are brought during a criminal investigation.
“If someone uses confidential information in order to gain an unfair advantage when betting, this may constitute an offence of cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act, which is a criminal offence.”
The Conservative Party said they were aware of the contact between a candidate and the Gambling Commission but that it was a personal matter.