A Tory candidate for a seat in north and mid Wales faces a Gambling Commission probe after he “put a flutter” on when the General Election would take place. Craig Williams is one of Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aides and is the Conservative candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr.
Mr Williams, who served as the Prime Minister’s parliamentary private secretary, admitted to placing a bet on when the poll would take place “some weeks ago”. The Conservative former MP, who represented Montgomeryshire until the election was called, wrote on social media site X, formerly Twitter : “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.”
The seat he is contesting is one of the new Welsh constituencies. It covers parts of Mid-Wales and also Wrexham.
The Guardian reported Mr Williams placed a £100 bet on a July election just days before Mr Sunak named the date as July 4, at a Ladbrokes in his constituency.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “We are aware of contact between a Conservative candidate and the Gambling Commission. It is a personal matter for the individual in question. As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”
The Gambling Commission has been contacted for comment.
In a statement to The Guardian, the watchdog said: “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 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.”