Sunak receives letter from Gambling Commission over aide who placed bet on July election

Rishi Sunak has received a letter from the Gambling Commission about the inquiry into his parliamentary aide who reportedly bet £100 on the date of the general election just before it was called.

The Prime Minister is understood to have been contacted earlier this week to be told that Craig Williams, his parliamentary private secretary, was the subject of an investigation.

Mr Williams bet £100 on the general election being held in July three days before the announcement was made, according to the Guardian. Mr Sunak’s decision to hold a summer not autumn election surprised the nation.

The reporting has not been disputed by Mr Williams, who admitted he had a “flutter” on the election a few weeks ago. He has since apologised for a “huge error of judgment”.

The letter to Mr Sunak informed him of the Gambling Commission’s inquiry and did not request a meeting or further information from the Prime Minister, a Tory source said.

But the Prime Minister’s position is said to be that he is happy to co-operate if needed and urges others to do likewise if requested to do so by those investigating.

Commission has power to prosecute

The Gambling Commission, the regulatory body which oversees the gambling industry, has the power to prosecute cheating offences, with a maximum prison sentence of two years and a fine.

The Gambling Act 2005 has a section that makes clear cheating at gambling is an offence. One passage mentions cheating being an “attempted deception or interference” when gambling.

Mr Williams, who was first elected as a Tory MP in 2015, has been representing the constituency of Montgomeryshire in Wales for the last five years. He is seeking re-election on July 4.