Tory candidate dropped over betting scandal breaks silence with vow

A Tory candidate who was dropped by the party after being engulfed in the election betting scandal has spoken out.

Rishi Sunak earlier ditched his parliamentary aide Craig Williams, over a probe into a bet he made on the election timing. Mr Williams has now said he had committed an error of judgment, not an offence and that he intends to “clear my name”.

In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Williams said: “I just want a quick message to the constituents of Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr. I remain on the ballot paper come July 4 and I hope to secure your support after years of delivery.

“I committed an error of judgment, not an offence, and I want to reiterate my apology directly to you. I am fully co-operating with routine inquiries from the Gambling Commission and I intend to clear my name.”

He said that “due process is important” adding that the Commission “must be able to do its work”. “I’m committed to my campaign to be elected as your Member of Parliament and staunch champion,” he added.

After almost two weeks of dithering, the PM finally withdrew his support for his Mr Craig Williams, who is standing to be MP in Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr, and Laura Saunders, who is standing for Bristol North West. Mr Sunak had been under increasing pressure to suspend the Tory candidates after it emerged the Gambling Commission was looking into them for alleged bets on the date of the General Election. The scandal first broke on June 12, when Mr Williams admitted he had “put a flutter” on the timing of the election.

It was also confirmed on Tuesday that five police officers are being probed by the Gambling Commission over alleged bets on the timing of the General Election. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said they have not been arrested, but confirmed the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. They added: “Decisions on whether they will be subject to any restrictions will be taken in due course.”

An officer in the PM’s close protection team was arrested on suspicion for misconduct in public office and is on “restricted duties” after an alleged bet. It takes the total to six officers now confirmed to be being probed, as well as four Tories. It is claimed that Scotland Yard was officially told the date of the General Election before it was announced. Sources say this was to give police enough time to plan security provisions for the start of the campaign.

After almost two weeks of dithering, Mr Sunak on Tuesday withdrew his support for his parliamentary aide Craig Williams, who is standing to be MP in Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr, and Laura Saunders, who is standing for Bristol North West. Because nominations have closed, the pair will still be on ballot papers when voters head to the polls on July 4.

The PM has been under increasing pressure to suspend the Tory candidates after it emerged the Gambling Commission was looking into them for alleged bets on the date of the General Election. After hearing the news, Keir Starmer responded: “Why didn’t that happen a week ago?”

Another two Tories – who work in the party’s HQ – are being probed for alleged bets and have taken a leave of absence from their roles. The party’s chief data officer Nick Mason and the party’s campaign chief Tony Lee, the husband of Ms Saunders, have stepped back from their duties.

A Met Police spokesman said: “We previously confirmed the arrest of a Met officer on Monday, 17 June for misconduct in public office in relation to bets placed on the timing of the General Election. The officer – a Police Constable from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command – is on restricted duties. It is still the case that only one officer is under criminal investigation.

“We have, however, been passed information from the Gambling Commission alleging that five further officers have placed bets related to the timing of the election. The Gambling Commission continues to investigate these matters. The officers have not been arrested but the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed.”

A Conservative Party spokesman: “As a result of ongoing internal enquiries, we have concluded that we can no longer support Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as Parliamentary Candidates at the forthcoming General Election. We have checked with the Gambling Commission that this decision does not compromise the investigation that they are conducting, which is rightly independent and ongoing.”