Former Conservative MP Craig Williams has pleaded guilty to cheating by using inside information to place bets on the 2024 UK general election.
Williams was among a group of individuals charged with cheating offences by the Gambling Commission back in April 2025, with sentencing set for a later date.
He served as parliamentary private secretary to then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, giving him direct access to sensitive government information including potential election dates.
Williams placed a £100 bet on 19 May 2024 that a general election would be held in July, three days before Sunak publicly announced the date.
Under Section 42(1)(a) of the Gambling Act 2005, cheating at betting or gambling in the UK is a criminal offence that carries up to two years in prison and a fine.
Williams lost his parliamentary seat to Labour in the 2024 general election, but the Gambling Commission pressed ahead with its investigation regardless.
Amy Hind, wife of Conservative deputy digital director Anthony Hind, also pleaded guilty to cheating on the date of the election after receiving confidential information it would be called.
Hind was working as a business support manager for the NHS at the time of the offence, though she had previously held several roles within the Conservative Party.
She is due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 23 October and could face a custodial sentence if the court finds the circumstances warrant one.
The Gambling Commission issued a firm statement on the matter, saying: “This was not a market to be abused by those with inside information as to when the election would be held.”
The Commission added: “These two defendants placed bets themselves. In doing so, they cheated. They did so by using confidential and sensitive information about the date of the 2024 General Election in order to profit.”
Williams and Hind are not the only individuals facing charges, as the Commission identified a further 12 people who also cheated when betting on the election.
That group includes former Conservative Party chief marketing officer Simon Chatfield, ex-chief data officer Nick Mason, and one-time director of campaigning Anthony Lee.
MP candidate Laura Saunders, Tory Welsh Parliament member Russell George, former special advisor Jacob Willmer, and former police officer Jeremy Hunt are also among those charged.
The trials for the remaining defendants are scheduled to take place across two windows, in September 2027 and January 2028 respectively.
