UK prime minister’s protection officer arrested over alleged bet on election timing

A police constable working as part of the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s protection team was arrested this week for allegedly making bets related to the timing of the general election, police told CNN.

A police constable working as part of the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s protection team was arrested this week for allegedly making bets related to the timing of the general election, police told CNN. The officer was arrested on Monday “on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said Wednesday. “We can confirm that on Friday, June 14, the Met were contacted by the Gambling Commission who informed us that they were investigating alleged bets made by a police constable from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, which were related to the timing of the General Election,” the spokesperson added. The constable was removed from his operational duties and the matter was immediately referred to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, which opened an investigation, the spokesperson said. The arrest comes days after the Guardian newspaper reported that a close aide of Sunak made a £100 ($127) bet on a July election date before the prime minister had publicly announced the date. Craig Williams apologised for making the bet, telling the BBC: “I clearly made a huge error of judgment that’s for sure and I apologize.” The police spokesperson said the country’s Gambling Commission continues to lead its probe into “alleged betting offenses, and our investigation is running in parallel to that.”