Betting charges politician removed from committees

A Conservative Member of the Senedd (MS) who has been charged with betting offences has been removed from two committees in the Welsh Parliament.

Russell George was one of 15 people charged by the Gambling Commission, including a former Welsh Tory MP and the Welsh Conservatives' most senior staff member, following an investigation into betting on last summer's general election.

Mr George has now lost his paid job as chairman of the health committee, and is no longer a member of the committee which scrutinises the work of the first minister.

It follows the decision by Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Darren Millar to suspend Mr George from the Tory group, making him an independent MS.

Mr George, former Montgomeryshire MP Craig Williams and Welsh Conservative director Thomas James were all charged by the Gambling Commission on Monday.

They and 12 others will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in June.

It follows an investigation looking into alleged cheating relating to bets made on the timing of the 2024 general election.

Those found guilty of an offence could face a fine or a jail term of up to two years.

Mr George was selected as the lead candidate for the Gwynedd Maldwyn Conservative list for the next Senedd election last Saturday.

He has been an MS for Montgomeryshire since 2011.

Mr George lost his positions on the two committees because of his status as an independent MS, the positions having been allocated to the Welsh Conservatives.

A spokesperson for the Senedd confirmed that the presiding officer Elin Jones wrote to political party business managers on Monday night "confirming that following his suspension from the Conservative group Russell George is no longer a member of the health committee or first minister scrutiny committee".

The Gambling Commission said on Monday that the investigation focused on individuals suspected of using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage in betting markets - a criminal offence.

Craig Williams was MP for Montgomeryshire from 2019 to 2024, and represented Cardiff North from 2015 to 2017.

He had been an aide to prime minister Rishi Sunak in the last Conservative UK government.

Thomas James is director of the Welsh Conservatives - a paid job within the party. The Conservatives confirmed on Monday that Mr James had been suspended.