One of Rishi Sunak's bodyguards arrested for alleged betting on UK election date

LONDON (AP) — One of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's police bodyguards has been arrested for alleged betting on the date of Britain's national elections made before they were announced, authorities said Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police said an officer from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The arrest took place after the Gambling Commission contacted the force. The commission, which regulates the gambling industry, confirmed it was investigating “the possibility of violations relating to the timing of the elections”.

Sunak announced on May 22 that parliamentary elections would take place on July 4. The date was a closely guarded secret and the announcement surprised many within Sunak's ruling Conservative Party. Most thought the election would take place in the fall.

Betting is a popular activity in the UK, with bookmakers offering odds on everything from sport to elections to winners of literary awards. It is a criminal offense to cheat by acting on inside information.

The arrested officer has been released on bail pending further investigation and has been removed from duty while police conduct their own investigation. The officer has not been named. British police generally do not identify suspects until they are charged.

Last week, Sunak aide and parliamentary re-election candidate Craig Williams admitted he was under investigation by the Gambling Commission for placing a 100-pound ($128) bet. on July elections before the date had been announced.

Williams said the regulator was carrying out “some routine investigations and I confirm that I will cooperate fully with these”.

“I don’t want to distract from the campaign, I should have thought about what it was going to look like,” he said.