A former MP accused of using ‘inside information’ to bet on the date of the last general election faces waiting until just before the next election for his trial.
Craig Williams, 40, allegedly placed a £100 bet on the date the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would hold the general election.
The Gambling Commission claims Williams, who was an aide to Mr Sunak when he was MP for Montgomeryshire, also shared his information with friends and associates.
He appeared at Southwark Crown Court alongside 14 other defendants, where they were told, they would not face trial until January 2028.
This comes just days after Lord Leveson warned urgent actions needs to be taken to resolve the court backlog with some trials being listed as late as 2029.
Williams, who has not entered a plea to one charge of cheating at gambling and three counts of enabling or assisting others to cheat, only spoke to confirm his name.
His lawyer, Patrick Gibbs KC, told the court there are applications to dismiss the charges likely to be heard before a judge in January 2026.
Because of the large number of defendants, two eight-week trials will take place, with the first fixed for 6 September 2027, and the second for 3 January 2028.
Former Conservative MP Craig Williams arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London today
Williams will be in the 2028 trial.
Other defendants include former Tory member of Senedd Russell George, 50, and Thomas James, 38, the suspended director of the Welsh Conservatives, both of whom have previously indicated not guilty pleas.
The charges comes after ‘Operation Scott’ was launched to investigate gambling by politicians and employees of the Conservative Party in the lead-up to the 2024 general election.
The election date was announced on 22 May and held on 4 July, which caused some surprise within Westminster as many had expected it to be held in the autumn.
Mr Sunak, who has provided a witness statement in this case, had noted that elections would take place in the second half of the year but had not given a date.
Prosecuting on behalf of the Gambling Commission, Sam Stein KC told a previous hearing: ‘Operation Scott was an investigation launched by the Gambling Commission into politicians and employees of the Conservative Party, and a former police officer … who had placed bets on the date of the 2024 general election with the benefit of confidential or insider information as to when that date might be.
‘The prosecution says that placing bets with inside information is a criminal offence, namely cheating.’
Williams was first the MP for Cardiff North between 2015 and 2017 before he lost his seat to Labour MP Anna McMorrin.
He was then elected MP for Montgomeryshire at the 2019 general election, and lost his seat in July last year.
Rishi Sunak: Williams is accused of using his link to the former PM to place a bet on the election
The 15 defendants are alleged to have placed bets based on confidential information gained from those rooms, or enabled others to place bets by passing that information on.
If convicted they could face up to two years in prison for these offences.
Twelve of the defendants indicated not guilty pleas at a previous hearing.
Simon Chatfield, 51, from Farnham, Surrey; Russell George, 50; Amy Hind, 34, of Loughton, Essex; Anthony Hind, 36, of Loughton, Essex; Thomas James, 38; Charlotte Lang, 36; Anthony Lee, 47; Laura Saunders, 37; Iain Makepeace, 47, from Newcastle Upon Tyne; Nick Mason, 51; Paul Place, 53, from Hammersmith, west London; and James Ward, 40, of Leeds, all indicated they would deny the charges.
Former MP Williams, with Jacob Willmer, 39, from Richmond, west London, and former police officer Jeremy Hunt, 55, of Horne in Surrey, are yet to indicate a plea.
