Election Betting Scandal: Sunak's Aide Among 15 Charged for Gambling on Poll Timing

By HOAR Team 14 April, 2025 4 mins read 72 Views

Holy crap, the political betting scandal just got real. After months of whispers and speculation, the Gambling Commission finally dropped the hammer today - 15 people including Craig Williams (Rishi Sunak's former parliamentary BFF) are officially charged with gambling offences. And yes, they were allegedly betting on when the general election would be called last year.

I've been following this mess since last summer when rumors first surfaced about Tory insiders placing suspicious bets. My colleague at the pub swore he knew someone who knew someone who'd placed a bet... typical Westminster gossip machine. Turns out teh gossip was spot on this time.

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The "Just a Flutter" Defence Didn't Work

Williams, 39, served as Sunak's parliamentary aide for nearly two years before the Conservatives got absolutely demolished in the election. Back when this story first broke, he admitted to having what he called a "flutter" on the election date right before Sunak made the announcement in May 2023.

A flutter. That's what he called it.

Let's be real - when you're literally working as the PM's right-hand man and suddenly decide to bet on something only insiders would know about... that's not a flutter, that's insider gambling. My editor bet me £10 I couldn't write this piece without using stronger language to describe these shenanigans.

Who Else Got Caught in the Net?

The list of charged individuals reads like a mini Conservative Party directory. Russell George, a Welsh assembly member for Montgomeryshire, is on the hook. So is Nick Mason, who used to be the Conservative Party's chief data officer (ironically, the guy who probably analyzed polling data).

And in a twist I didn't see coming, a 55-year-old former police officer named Jeremy Hunt also got charged. Not THE Jeremy Hunt, mind you - though that would've made this story even juicier.

Wait... Isn't This Already Being Investigated?

If you're confused about why we're hearing about charges from the Gambling Commission when the Metropolitan Police were supposed to be handling this, join the club. Apparently, these are separate investigations. The Met discontinued their probe, but the Gambling Commission kept digging.

I spoke with a former parliamentary staffer last week (drinks at a Westminster pub, naturally) who told me, "Everyone knew this was coming, but nobody expected this many people to be charged." His response when I texted him about today's news: "Told you so. Career suicide by betting slip."

The Dumbest Way to End a Political Career

The Gambling Commission's statement was typically dry - focusing on "individuals suspected of using confidential information" to "gain an unfair advantage in betting markets." Translation: people who knew stuff they weren't supposed to share decided to make money off it.

Under the Gambling Act, this constitutes cheating - a criminal offense. God. Imagine throwing away your political career for what was probably a few hundred quid in winnings. In 2018, I interviewed a former MP who told me the biggest temptation in politics wasn't corruption but "the little things that seem harmless at the time."

The Conservative Party has already withdrawn support from two candidates caught up in this mess.

I've covered politics for 11 years now, and this ranks among the most unnecessarily self-destructive scandals I've seen. These weren't junior staffers - these were people with actual careers and reputations. And for what? The chance to win some betting money on information they had privileged access to?

Sometimes I think politicians forget that rules apply to them too.

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