LONDON – A British lawmaker and close aide to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized on Thursday for a “huge error of judgment” after placing a bet on the date of the country’s election, prompting an investigation by the gambling regulator.
Craig Williams, who is running for a parliamentary seat in Wales, bet £100 ($128) that Sunak would call an election for July, just days before the announcement. Williams stood to win £500, according to the Guardian report.
Williams has been serving as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister since October 2022. This role involves acting as a liaison between Sunak and the Conservative Party’s elected lawmakers. The announcement of the July 4 election date surprised most lawmakers and voters, who had expected the election to be held in the autumn.
When asked whether he had placed the bet based on inside information, Williams told the BBC on Thursday: “I clearly made a huge error of judgment, that’s for sure, and I apologize.”
Following the Guardian report, Williams stated on X that the UK’s betting regulator, the Gambling Commission, was conducting routine inquiries after he made the bet some weeks ago. He confirmed his cooperation with the inquiry.
This incident adds to the Conservative Party’s recent campaign challenges. Their manifesto launch on Tuesday did not gain the expected traction, and polls show the Conservatives trailing the opposition Labour Party by around 20 percentage points.
Last week, Sunak faced criticism, including from within his own party, for leaving D-Day commemorations early to conduct an election interview, for which he subsequently issued a public apology. Labour has called the gambling allegations “utterly extraordinary,” while Foreign Minister David Cameron described Williams’ action as a “very foolish decision.”