Former Conservative MP Craig Williams will have to wait until 2028 to face trial after being charged with betting offences earlier this year.
Williams, the ex-Tory MP for both Montgomeryshire, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on 11 July in relation to allegations he placed bets on the date of the 2024 general election.
A former senior aide to then-prime minister Rishi Sunak, Williams is one of 15 co-defendants embroiled in the controversy, all of whom could face up to two years in prison if convicted, as per the potential punishment that comes with breaching section 42 of the Gambling Act.
All involved are accused of placing bets on the general election date, or enabling others to do so, based on confidential information gained by being privy to private discussions at both Downing Street and the Conservative campaign headquarters.
Of the 15 co-defendants involved, 12 have already given indications that they would plead not guilty during a hearing in Westminster magistrates court last month.
Due to the number of defendants involved, the group will be split into two separate trials, the first of which has been earmarked for 6 September 2027, before the second is set to start on 3 January 2028.
Williams is expected to be part of the 2028 trial, where he will answer to one charge of cheating at gambling and three counts of enabling or assisting others to cheat.
At Southwark Crown Court last week, Williams did not indicate a plea.
The charges are a result of Operation Scott, launched to investigate allegations of gambling by politicians and employees of the Conservative Party before the last election.
Southwark Crown Court will hear an application to dismiss the charges on 19 January 2026.
Alongside Williams, other defendants involved include prominent Welsh Conservatives Russell George and Thomas James, both of whom have alrady indicated not guilty pleas.
Sam Stein KC, prosecutor on behalf of the Gambling Commission (GC), said at a previous hearing: “Operation Scott was an investigation launched by the GC 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.”
The post Ex-Tory MP to face trial in 2028 over Gamblegate charges first appeared on EGR Intel.
Conservative MP Craig Williams will have more than two years to wait before charges of cheating at gambling and assisting others to cheat will reach a verdict
The post Ex-Tory MP to face trial in 2028 over Gamblegate charges first appeared on EGR Intel.