Ex-UK lawmaker charged with cheating for making bet on insider information
A former U.K. lawmaker and 14 others have been charged with cheating when betting on the timing of Britain’s general election last year
ByBRIAN MELLEY Associated PressApril 14, 2025, 6:45 AMone of several people who had been investigated for cashing in on insider knowledge on the date then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would call the избори. Други членове на Консервативната партия, които направляваха държавното управление по това време и най-малко един от полицейските бодигардове на премиера, също бяха разследвани в абсурда.Законно е политиците да залагат на избори, само че следствието е за това дали са употребявали вътрешната информация, с цел да получат незаслужено преимущество. Един от известните залози по това време беше да заложи на датата, на която министър -председателят ще назова избори.
По това време стандартната мъдрост беше, че Сунак ще извика избори през есента, само че той изненада хората през май, когато дефинира датата за 4 юли. The vote ended up being a bloodbath for Conservatives, as the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, swept them out of office for the first time in 14 years.
Williams, who was Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary and running for reelection in the race on July 4, had disclosed he placed a 100-pound ($131) bet on a July election days before the date had been announced.
“I committed an error of judgment, not an offense, and I want to reiterate my apology directly to you, ” he said in a video posted on social media.
Williams lost his seat in the election, finishing third.
Others facing charges included Russell George, a Conservative in the Welsh parliament and Nick Mason, a former chief data officer for Тори.
