One of Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aides is facing a Gambling Commission probe after he placed a bet on the date of the General Election just days before the Prime Minister announced the snap poll.

The Guardian reported that Craig Williams, who served as the Prime Minister’s parliamentary private secretary and is now Conservative candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, staked £100 on a July election at a Ladbrokes in his constituency on May19.

Mr Sunak called the vote on May 22. 

The paper reported that Ladbrokes had referred the wager to the Gambling Commission and that the Tory leader was made aware of the probe last week.

After the story broke, the Tory took to X. He said: “I’ve been contacted by a journalist about Gambling Commission inquiries into one of my accounts and thought it best to be totally transparent.

“I put a flutter on the General Election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine inquiries and I confirm I will fully co-operate with these. I don’t want it to be a distraction from the campaign. I should have thought through how it looks.”

Labour's Jonathan Ashworth said the allegations were "utterly extraordinary."

He added: "Rishi Sunak has sat on this information for more than a week but has lacked any backbone to take action.

"Once again Rishi Sunak has been exposed as utterly weak.

"After all the Tory financial scandals, this is more evidence that the Tories have learned nothing, haven't changed, and if given five more years, the chaos will just continue."

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “We are aware of contact between a Conservative candidate and the Gambling Commission. It is a personal matter for the individual in question.

“As the Gambling Commission is an independent body, it wouldn’t be proper to comment further, until any process is concluded.”

In a statement to The Guardian, the Gambling Commission said: “If someone uses confidential information in order to gain an unfair advantage when betting, this may constitute an offence of cheating under section 42 of the Gambling Act, which is a criminal offence.

“The Gambling Commission does not typically confirm or deny whether any investigations are under way unless or until they are concluded, or if arrests are made or charges are brought during a criminal investigation.”