Former MP Craig Williams pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling by using confidential information to bet on the date of the 2024 general election, while serving as a close aide and parliamentary private secretary to former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Three additional charges against Williams will be dropped at sentencing, which has been scheduled for a later date.

Prosecutors said Williams placed three bets totaling £372 on the election date, signaling the use of highly sensitive information to profit from betting.

Trials for Williams and co-defendants are part of a wider proceeding with two separate trials set for September 2027 and January 2028, with all defendants on unconditional bail.

All defendants have been granted unconditional bail as the case proceeds.

The Gambling Commission’s Operation Scott led to charges against 15 people, with 12 co-defendants facing trial in 2027 and 2028 and sentencing dates to be set later for Williams and Hind.

The report includes external links to the Gambling Commission and related coverage, and mentions Nicole Macedo, noting her Gibraltar journalism background.

Other named individuals charged include several Conservative Party staffers and associates, with trials anticipated in September 2027 and January 2028.

The list of charged individuals spans figures connected to Downing Street security and party headquarters, with trial dates noted for mid-to-late 2027 and early 2028.

Williams and Hind face potential penalties of a fine or up to two years in prison, with sentencing at Southwark Crown Court to follow co-defendants’ trials.

The 2024 election produced the Conservatives’ worst-ever general election defeat, with Williams losing his Montgomeryshire seat in the wipeout.

Prime Minister Sunak had announced the 4 July 2024 election date in May 2024, a decision that sparked significant media attention and followed by Labour’s victory six weeks later.