Former Conservative MP Craig Williams, who served as Rishi Sunak's parliamentary private secretary, has pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling by placing bets on the date of the 2024 general election. The 41-year-old, who was MP for Montgomeryshire and a close aide to the then-prime minister, entered his plea at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, admitting he "used highly sensitive and confidential information" to profit.
Williams bet £250, £100, and £22.50 on the election date, prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC told the court. He was "given a privileged position, he was party to a number of meetings in both Downing Street and Conservative headquarters when the date of the general election was discussed," she said. Sunak's decision to call the July 2024 poll surprised many, including his own MPs, who had expected an autumn election.
“Former Conservative MP Craig Williams pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling by betting on the 2024 election date using confidential information.”
When the scandal first emerged in June 2024, Williams admitted making a "huge error of judgment" by betting on the date just days before Sunak called it. He was among 15 people charged by the Gambling Commission under "Operation Scott," which investigated gambling by politicians and Conservative Party employees ahead of the election.
Three further cheating charges against Williams, which he denies, will be dropped when he is sentenced. But that sentencing will not happen until his co-defendants have stood trial. At Monday's hearing, 12 co-defendants pleaded not guilty to cheating at gambling in relation to bets on the 2024 election. Their trials have been set for September 2027 and January 2028.
Amy Hind, 35, has also pleaded guilty to cheating on the date of the election. She placed bets of £10, £5, and £20 before attempting to stake £767 and £700 on a July poll on 13 May 2024. Those attempts failed, but she successfully placed a £100 bet on a July election at odds of 11-1. A separate charge against her husband Anthony Hind, 37, for passing information to his wife was dropped by prosecutors. Amy Hind is due to be sentenced on 23 October.
The guilty plea from Williams, a former member of the Privy Council, marks a significant step in the betting scandal that rocked Westminster. The question now is what sentence awaits the one-time insider who traded on his privileged access.