Former Tory Campaign Chief Sentenced for Gambling on Election Date
Source reports published 23 Oct 2026, 7:18 pm – 24 Oct 2026, 12:58 am AEST
An ex-Tory campaign chief and his wife were sentenced to imprisonment after admitting to using inside information to gamble on the 2024 general election date. The actions risked undermining public confidence in the Conservative Party.
What happened
- Anthony Lee, the former director of campaigning for the Conservative Party, and his wife placed bets totaling over £2,000 on the general election date, utilizing information gleaned from a private meeting held by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on March 10, 2024.
- This meeting, attended by figures including Craig Williams and Isaac Levido, discussed potential election dates, including July 4, and presented three options to the attendees.
- Lee had prior knowledge of this meeting and shared the information with his wife, leading to the betting activity between March 10 and May 21, 2024.
- The couple placed bets primarily on ‘July’ or the ‘July-September’ timeframe.
- Zoe Johnson KC, prosecuting, stated that Lee’s actions “abused” this inside information for personal profit, particularly at a time when public confidence in the political class is low.
- Richard Pratt KC, defending Lee, argued that his client’s actions were a gamble, acknowledging the possibility of a change of mind by Sunak.
- The Gambling Commission initiated Operation Scott to investigate gambling by politicians and Conservative Party employees, leading to the criminal charges against Lee and his wife.