MP faces gambling probe after "flutter" on General Election date
The Guardian claims that Mr Williams, who is standing for re-election in the expanded Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr constituency, placed a £100 bet on a July election just three days before Mr Sunak named July 4 as the date.
This has not been verified by any media outlet to date and MyWelshpool has asked Mr Williams for comment, but he came clean earlier this evening on X, stating: “I’ve been contacted by a journalist about Gambling Commission inquiries into one of my accounts and thought it best to be totally transparent.
“I put a flutter on the General Election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine inquiries and I confirm I will fully cooperate with these.
A spokesperson for the Conservative Party told the BBC that: “We are aware of contact between a Conservative candidate and the Gambling Commission. It is a personal matter for the individual in question.
“As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”
Also, the BBC is reporting this evening that a Gambling Commission spokesperson said it “does not typically confirm or deny whether any investigations are underway unless or until they are concluded, or if arrests are made or charges are brought during a criminal investigation".
“If someone uses confidential information in order to gain an unfair advantage when betting, this may constitute an offence of cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act, which is a criminal offence.”
The Montgomeryshire & Glyndwr candidates (in no particular order):
Plaid Cymru: Elwyn Vaughan
Labour: Steve Witherden
Liberal Democrats: Glyn Preston
Reform UK: Oliver Lewis
Conservatives: Craig Williams
Green Party: Jeremy Brignell-Thorp
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