Former Tory campaign chief and wife receive suspended sentences for election‑date betting

Former Conservative director of campaigning Anthony Lee and his wife Laura have each been handed suspended prison sentences after pleading guilty to betting on the date of the 2024 general election. The couple admitted they used inside information from a private meeting convened by then‑Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to place the bets months before the poll. The court heard they stood to win more than £23,000 had the scheme not been uncovered. Anthony Lee was sentenced to 10 months and two weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, while Laura Lee received a four‑month‑and‑two‑weeks term, suspended for a year. Former Tory staffer Amy Hind, now working as an NHS business support manager, was also sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for a year, after pleading guilty to the same offence. Judge Tony Baumgartner warned that their conduct risked undermining public confidence in the Conservative Party, trust in the democratic process and the integrity of the gambling system. The three were among several people charged by the Gambling Commission for betting offences. Further trials of other defendants are scheduled for next year and again in 2028. Former Conservative MP Craig Williams, who served as Rishi Sunak’s closest parliamentary aide, also pleaded guilty in June and will be sentenced later. ## Context Betting on the outcome or timing of UK elections is illegal under the Gambling Act 2005, and the Gambling Commission routinely investigates suspected breaches to protect the fairness of both politics and gambling markets.