One of Rishi Sunak’s leading aides is in trouble for placing a £100 ($128) bet on the general election date three days before the official announcement. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

One of Rishi Sunak’s most prominent aides is in hot water for placing a £100 ($128) wager on the general election taking place in July only three days before the UK Prime Minister publicly revealed the date.

The Guardian reported how the Parliamentary Private Secretary Craig Williams used a Ladbrokes online sportsbook account on May 14 and got odds of +500 for the bet. Sunak surprised many by calling the election for July 4 after reportedly debating the exact date for several months.

use of confidential information to unfairly take advantage of a betting market could result in criminal charges

Ladbrokes has a procedure whereby it flags any strange activity from “politically exposed” people and so referred the matter to the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) which in turn notified Downing Street. The use of confidential information to unfairly take advantage of a betting market could result in criminal charges.

Claiming he wanted to be transparent, Williams issued a statement to confirm that the UKGC had made inquiries into one of his sportsbook accounts. Speaking about the wager, the 39-year-old said it “resulted in some routine inquiries and I confirm I will fully cooperate with these.” He concluded by apologizing for distracting from the campaign and admitting he should have considered the optics.