Former Tory MP Charged With Gambling Offences
Craig Williams was first elected as a Tory MP in 2015 (Alamy)
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Former Conservative MP Craig Williams, along with 14 other individuals, has been charged with gambling offences after placing a bet on the timing of the 2024 general election.
Williams was the Tory MP for Montgomeryshire and Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to former prime minister Rishi Sunak between 2022 and 2024.
The Conservatives withdrew their support for Williams in the run-up to the July election after it was revealed that he had been placed under investigation by the Gambling Commission. The seat he contested, Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr in Wales, was won by Labour.
The former MP placed a bet of £100 that the general election would be held in July, three days before the date of the 2024 election was announced – with the Gambling Commission then launching an investigation to determine whether Williams had carried out a criminal offence by placing the bet based on confidential information.
Laura Saunders, the former Conservative candidate for Bristol North West, is another one of the individuals being charged after she also placed a bet on the timing of the election.
The Tories also withdrew their support for Saunders after the allegations emerged last year.
Williams and Saunders, along with the 13 others charged with the same offence, are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court at 10am on Friday 13 June.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Conservative Party believes that those working in politics must act with integrity. Current members of staff who have been charged are being suspended with immediate effect.
“These incidents took place in May last year. Our Party is now under new leadership and we are cooperating fully with the Gambling Commission to ensure that their investigation can conclude swiftly and transparently.”
