BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS
In a crisis for PM, minister quits over ‘crack cocaine’ betting machines costing gambling addicts’ lives – and in a savage swipe accuses the Government of having ...
THERESA May’s enemies were circling last night following the resignation of a popular minister.
Sports minister Tracey Crouch stunned Westminster by refusing to accept a Government delay in tackling the scourge of addictive fixed- odds betting terminals. Her resignation threatened to trigger a full-blown crisis for the Prime Minister, whose Tory foes seized the chance to pile on the pressure.
In a blistering resignation letter, Miss Crouch blamed the delay on Treasury penny-pinching and suggested the Government would have blood on its hands because it could cost two lives a day among vulnerable addicts.
After hours of wrangling behind the scenes, Mrs May accepted the resignation with ‘disappointment’.
Miss Crouch’s surprise move could now become a new rallying point for Mrs May’s political enemies and rivals, at a time when a successful Budget appeared to have calmed speculation about her leadership.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, praised Miss Crouch’s ‘courageous’ stand, tweeting: ‘May God bless her commitment to doing right.’
on social media, leading Brexiteers Boris Johnson and Priti Patel congratulated Miss Crouch for ‘standing up for her principles’.
And in an ominous move, Cabinet rivals Andrea Leadsom and Penny Mordaunt also backed Miss Crouch, a former chief of staff to David Davis. Miss Leadsom, the Commons leader, posted her resignation letter on social media and praised her as a ‘superbly principled politician’. Leading remainers
Tom Tugendhat and Sarah Wollaston also came out in support. Dr Wollaston said lives must be put before profit, tweeting: ‘The tragedy of lives lost to suicide has to be our absolute priority here and there’s good evidence, and I would urge (the Chancellor) to bring this in.’
The row threatens to become a running sore for the Government, with rebels warning they will try to force a Government climbdown in the Commons in the coming weeks.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said he will table an amendment to the Finance Bill this month in a bid to force a U-turn, saying: ‘We need to place humans above money.’
Miss Crouch’s decision to quit took No 10 by surprise.
‘All we did was delay the betting move for six months,’ said one minister. ‘Tracey had won the main argument.’
But it followed months of wrangling with the Treasury, which makes hundreds of millions of pounds from fixedodds betting terminals (FOBTs).
Earlier this year ministers pledged to slash the maximum stake on FOBTs from £100 to £2, following a campaign by the Daily Mail.
Miss Crouch was pressing for the change to come into force in April, but Philip Hammond announced in his Budget on Monday that this had been kicked back until October 2019 amid concerns the Treasury would lose £120 million in the gap before a new tax on offshore gaming is brought in.
Last night Miss Crouch told Mrs May that the human cost of an extra sixmonth delay was ‘unjustifiable’ – saying too many people lost their lives as a result of problem gambling.
Miss Crouch has campaigned for years on the evil of FOBTs, which are known as the crack cocaine of gambling because of their addictive nature.
In her resignation letter, she said two people committed suicide every day as a result of problem gambling.
She accused the Government of caving in to Tory MPs with interests in the
‘Principles stay with us for ever’
gambling industry, and said the delay would cost problem gamblers £1.6 billion and hit ‘our most deprived areas’.
She added: ‘I know there is never a good time to resign and appreciate that this will be an unwelcome distraction, but... it is a fact of government that ministers must adhere to collective responsibility and cannot disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your wishes relating to your own portfolio.’
In a Twitter post, Miss Crouch added: ‘Politicians come and go but principles stay with us for ever.’
In reply, Mrs May denied there had been any delay because the curbs were originally planned to be introduced in April 2020. ‘Having taken the decision to make this very significant cut in maximum stakes, we must ensure that this change can be implemented in an orderly and effective manner to make sure it delivers the results we all want to see,’ she said.
FOBTs have attracted the ire of campaigners because gamblers are able to bet £100 every 20 seconds. The row centres over the Government’s plans to reduce the maximum stake down to just £2.
Critics say the curbs need to be brought in as soon as possible to save lives blighted by problem gambling – but Mr Hammond is keen on a delay because FOBTs raise more than £240 million a year in tax revenue.
Last night Tory MP Philip Davies, a supporter of the betting industry, denied he had lobbied the Government to delay the implementation of the curbs.
He was named in the Commons as a lobbyist by shadow culture secretary Tom Watson – and Miss Crouch’s letter referred to ‘ commitments made by others to those with registered interests’.
Matt Zarb- Cousin, from the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, said: ‘After a lengthy review by a diligent minister that concluded FOBTs are a social blight and the maximum stake should be £2 a spin, it is appalling the bookmakers are now able to influence when that policy is implemented. It is no surprise she feels betrayed.’
James Mildred, from the campaign group Care, said: ‘The resignation of Tracey Crouch could have been avoided had the Chancellor stuck to the original plan of implementing the much-needed cut by April 2019.
‘This all looks like there has been a dodgy back-room deal done with the bookies at the expense of communities and problem gamblers that will lose out with this delay.’
ENTERPRISING bookies could have made a few jimmies yesterday by taking bets on whether or not Sports Minister Tracey Crouch had quit. Dawn broke with a report that Miss Crouch, 43, a sniffly Kentish maid as much liked as she is pitied, was on the verge of resignation. She was upset about a Government delay in acting against fixed-odds betting terminals or FOBTs. Horrible things, FOBTs. They cause untold social wreckage.
Five months ago Miss Crouch happily announced that FOBT stakes were going to be cut from £100 to £2. It was understood the cut would be in place by next spring. Now the Treasury (ie that man Hammond) is insisting on a six-month delay. High stakes generate oodles of tax, you see.
The Commons day began at 9.30am with Culture and Sport questions. Where was our Tracey? Not where she Smith materialised behind the should have been, which was on Speaker’s Chair. the Government bench. Honk the Mr Smith shimmers like an all klaxons. Escaped prisoner. Souls Day wraith. around his contours
Miss Crouch’s boss, Culture the air seems somehow to Secretary Jeremy Wright, said she vibrate. He beckoned a bony finger had been in the US on official at Mr Wright, summoning him duties and only flown back on the outside for urgent words. red eye. It would have been ‘unwise This was awkward, for Mr Wright to rely on public transport or London was about to face an urgent parliamentary traffic’ to get her from the airport question about the to the Commons in time for FOBTs rumpus. Tick tock. Would the start of play. Well there’s a vote Mr Wright be back in time to on confidence in Transport Secretary answer his question? Yes, just, but Chris Grayling. by now he was a little pink-eared.
Mr Wright’s claim was undermined Had Tracey committed harakiri? when the BBC reported ‘She is doing an outstanding that Miss Crouch had been called job as a minister,’ said Mr to see the Government Whips at Wright with as straight a bat as 9.45am. ‘Is she in the building?’ could be mustered. asked Labour’s Kevin Brennan. We Poirots of the Press gallery Mr Wright left that one alone. took note of that present tense:
Scepticism sharpened when, 50 she was still a minister, even if her minutes later, during a lull for fellow junior ministers were by questions to the legal officers, now pretty green. Wind down your Government Chief Whip Julian window, Mavis. Michael and Mar- got look peaky. Nick Smith (Lab, Blaenau Gwent): ‘ Has Miss Crouch threatened to resign?’ Mr Wright: ‘I have made it clear I think she’d doing a great job. The decision on FOBTs has to be taken collectively.’ Or ‘yes’, as normal people would say. It would be another seven hours before Miss Crouch finally resigned
CONSERVATIVE backbenchers tore into the delay in acting against FOBTs. Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford & Woodford Green) urged the Government to ‘put lives ahead of profit’. Sir Peter Bottomley (Worthing W) called FOBTs ‘ghastly machines’. David Jones (Clwyd W) accused Mr Wright of ‘pure semantics’.
Philip Davies (Shipley), often seen as the bookies’ runner, was for once not present. But the Tories’ deputy Chief Whip Christopher Pincher was. He stood at the far end of the House, eyebrows as busy as knitting needles.
Carolyn Harris (Lab, Swansea E) boomed at Mr Wright, ‘don’t give me warm words – give me action!’ Steady on, old girl. This is the British Treasury you’re dealing with. Principle comes second to the Chancellor’s amour propre and whips’ deals.
When P. Hammond is involved, the despatch box becomes the lack-of-despatch box.
a farcical morning ended in an appropriate manner with the next item of business, questions to Commons Leader andrea Leadsom. No sign of her! Was she, too, about to quit? actually, she was merely late. Here she came, sprinting into the Chamber – and very nearly sent a doorkeeper for six.