Former Conservative campaign director and wife sentenced over general election bets

Anthony Lee, who was the Conservatives' former director of campaigning, and his wife Laura Lee have been given suspended prison sentences after admitting gambling offences. The couple placed bets on the date of the 2024 general election, the BBC reported. The case was heard at Southwark Crown Court, a court in London.

According to the BBC, Mr Lee used inside information from a private meeting called by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to bet on the election date months before it took place. The BBC said the couple stood to win more than £23,000 had their betting not been uncovered.

The BBC reported that Mr Lee was given 10 months and two weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. Sky News reported that he was handed a suspended sentence of 10 months in prison for each of his two counts. Ms Lee was sentenced to four months and two weeks' imprisonment, suspended for one year. The BBC had earlier reported that she pleaded guilty to one offence.

Sky News reported that three people linked to the Conservatives were sentenced after cheating at gambling on the general election. The Gambling Commission, the gambling regulator, said Craig Williams pleaded guilty on 29 June in connection with general election betting offences. It said Anthony Lee, Laura Lee and Amy Hind were due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 23 October 2026.

Separately, Reuters reported in 2024 that a police officer working in a special protection unit had been arrested over alleged bets on the election date. Reuters reported the arrest in June 2024.