Met officer protecting Rishi Sunak arrested ‘for betting on election date’
A Metropolitan Police officer working as part of Rishi Sunak’s protection team has been arrested following an investigation into alleged bets on the timing of the General Election.
The officer was taken into custody and has now been released on bail, pending further inquiries, the Met said.
The suspect is a member of the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, which provides personal protection to political VIPs and members of the royal family.
The arrest follows the Gambling Commission tipping off the Met Police last week that they were investigating the constable’s activities.
The allegations were then referred Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, before the officer was then suspended from duty.
Police said the matter was immediately referred to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards and the officer was also removed from operational duties.
The matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the force added.
The Gambling Commission is leading the investigation into the alleged betting offences, which is running parallel to the Met’s probe.
In a statement, the Gambling Commission said: “Currently the commission is investigating the possibility of offences concerning the date of the election.
“This is an ongoing investigation, and the commission cannot provide any further details at this time.”
Mr Sunak previously said it was “very disappointing” that one of his closest aides and the current Conservative candidate for Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr in Wales, Craig Williams, had allegedly placed a bet on the date of the election.
Mr Williams, who was the Tory MP for Montgomery until the election was called, is alleged to have placed a £100 bet on a July polling day some three days before Mr Sunak named the date as July 4, at a Ladbrokes in his constituency.
He previously said he had clearly made a “huge error of judgment” but refused to say whether he placed a bet on the basis of insider information.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
