Sunak refuses to confirm whether he told aide election date before bet

Rishi Sunak has refused to confirm whether he told a parliamentary aide the date of the election before he placed a bet on it.

Two weeks ago, Craig Williams admitted he had a “flutter” on the election date. Mr Williams had been reselected by the Tories to contest Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, which he won in 2019, before the party withdrew its support on Tuesday.

During an election campaign visit to Derbyshire, Mr Sunak was asked repeatedly whether he had confided in Mr Williams ahead of his surprise announcement of a summer election.

Speaking to broadcasters, the Prime Minister said: “I’ve been clear about this. I’m furious to have learnt about these allegations.

“We’ve initiated independent inquiries of our own, because I don’t have access to the Gambling Commission’s detail. You’ll recognise that while there are ongoing independent investigations it’s just not right for me to say anything more about that.”

Told he could not prejudice the investigation, Mr Sunak refused twice more to say whether he had told Mr Williams the election date.

It came as Scotland Yard suggested Tory politicians could face police investigation over bets placed on the date of the general election.

The Metropolitan Police is taking over part of the investigation and will assess whether any offences, such as misconduct in public office, have been committed.

Detectives from the Met’s specialist crime command will determine what further investigation is required, a spokesman for the force said.

Scotland Yard said the investigation would be split into two parts, with the Gambling Commission continuing to examine allegations of alleged cheating and the police focusing on whether any additional criminal offences had been committed.

This could potentially include allegations of misconduct in public office against Conservative politicians who placed bets that Mr Sunak would call a July election.

But the timing of the Met’s announcement has caused anger among Tory officials, who believe it could influence voters in the final week of campaigning.

It also comes days after Scotland Yard was forced to deny reports in The Telegraph that it had been accused of leaking the identities of Conservatives implicated in the betting scandal.

One serving Met officer, who is a member of Rishi Sunak’s close protection team, has already been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

A further six officers have been identified as having placed bets on the timing of the election, but so far their cases are being investigated by the Gambling Commission.

It is not clear how many people are being investigated over potential criminal offences, but Scotland Yard said the number was likely to be much smaller than those being looked into for alleged cheating.

A Met spokesman said: “The Gambling Commission continues to review whether any bets placed on the timing of the general election will be within scope of either investigation.

“The Met has compared the names of those who have placed bets on the timing of the election against a list of their officers. So far, seven officers have been identified.

“One, a PC attached to the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, was arrested on Monday June 17 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The officer has been bailed and is subject to restricted duties.

“A further six officers have been identified as having placed bets on the timing of the election. The Gambling Commission continues to investigate these matters, but the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards is being kept informed.”

Andrew Rhodes, the chief executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “We are focused on an investigation into confidential information being used to gain an unfair advantage when betting on the date of the general election.

“Our enforcement team has made rapid progress so far, and will continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police to draw this case to a just conclusion.

“We understand the desire for information – however, to protect the integrity of the investigation and to ensure a fair and just outcome, we are unable to comment further at this time, including the name of any person who may be under suspicion.”

Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin, who is leading the Met investigation, said: “We have agreed a joint approach with the Gambling Commission, who are the appropriate authority to investigate the majority of these allegations.

“There will, however, be a small number of cases where a broader criminal investigation by the police is required. We will aim to provide updates at key points as our investigation progresses.”