Former Tory MP Craig Williams pleads guilty to cheating at gambling with election bets

A former Conservative MP who was Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide when he was prime minster has pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling with bets on the date of the 2024 general election. Craig Williams, who was the MP for Montgomeryshire and, earlier, Cardiff North, admitted in court to using confidential information to place bets on the timing of the contest. He had previously said he made a “huge error of judgment” when the Guardian revealed in June 2024 he had placed a £100 bet on a July election just three days before the then prime minister named the date. As Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary between October 2022 and June 2024, he had been part of the prime minister’s inner circle and was privileged to key information. On 22 May 2024, Sunak made the surprise announcement that a general election would be held on 4 July. Williams entered his guilty plea on Monday at a hearing at Southwark crown court, which was told that he had bet £250, £100, and £22.50 on the election date. Zoe Johnson KC, prosecuting, said three further cheating charges, which Williams denies, would be dropped when he was sentenced. She said Williams, a member of the Privy Council, 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”. “He has now accepted by his plea that he used highly sensitive and confidential information to place bets and to profit,” she said. …