A former Tory MP is among 15 people who have been charged with offences relating to bets placed on the timing of the 2024 general election, the Gambling Commission has announced.
The scandal over the alleged placing of bets on the timing of Rishi Sunak’s surprise decision to call the national ballot early engulfed the Conservative Party’s campaign last summer.
While the Metropolitan Police dropped its own investigation last August, saying the bar for misconduct in public office had not been met, the Gambling Commission announced on Monday that it had brought charges against 15 individuals.
Among those were Mr Sunak’s former parliamentary private secretary Craig Williams, the former Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, who was charged with cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, which is a criminal offence.
Russell George, the Tory Senedd member for Montgomeryshire, was also charged, along with Laura Saunders, who was Tory candidate for Bristol North West at the election.
The other 12 people charged with cheating include a former police officer, the Gambling Commission said.
They are: Simon Chatfield, aged 51, from Lower Bourne, Farnham; Amy Hind, 34, Loughton; Anthony Hind, 36, also from Loughton; former police officer Jeremy Hunt, 55, Horne; Thomas James, 38, Brecon; Charlotte Lang, 36, Brixton; Anthony Lee, 47, Bristol; Iain Makepeace, 47, Newcastle; Nick Mason, 51, Milton on Stour; Paul Place, 53, Hammersmith; James Ward, 40, London; and Jacob Willmer, 39, Richmond.
They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court at 10am on Friday 13 June 2025.
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