Two More Plead Guilty In UK General Election Betting Case
Former Conservative campaign director Anthony Lee and his wife Laura Lee will be sentenced in October after admitting cheating offences linked to the 2024 election.
Two more people charged in connection with betting on the timing of the 2024 UK General Election have pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling.
Anthony Lee, the Conservative Party's former Director of Campaigning, and his wife Laura Lee entered guilty pleas at Southwark Crown Court on 10 September. Laura Lee had been selected as the Conservative candidate for Bristol North West ahead of the election.
The charges relate to bets placed on when former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would call the General Election, with prosecutors alleging the pair used confidential information unavailable to the wider betting public.
Anthony And Laura Lee To Be Sentenced In October
Both defendants are due to be sentenced in October. They are among 15 people charged in connection with the Gambling Commission's investigation into betting surrounding the timing of the 2024 General Election.
The regulator said Anthony and Laura Lee had used sensitive information about the election date when placing their bets.
“This was not a market to be abused by those with inside information as to when the election would be held,” the Gambling Commission said.
“These two defendants placed bets themselves. In doing so, they cheated. They did so by using confidential and sensitive information about the date of the 2024 general election in order to profit.”
Former MP Previously Admitted Election Betting Offence
The guilty pleas follow similar admissions from other defendants charged as part of the investigation.
Former Conservative MP Craig Williams previously pleaded guilty to using inside information to place bets on the timing of the election. Amy Hind, a former NHS business support manager who had also worked for the Conservative Party in several roles, has admitted the same offence.
The cases stem from betting activity ahead of Sunak's announcement on 22 May 2024 that the UK would hold a General Election on 4 July.
The Gambling Commission subsequently launched an investigation into whether individuals with access to confidential information had used that knowledge to gain an unfair advantage when betting on the timing of the election.
