Betting machines: Minister resigns
A Minister quit the Government over its decision to delay a clampdown on betting machines. Sport Minister Tracey Crouch resigned after Chancellor Philip Hammond was accused of delaying a cut in the maximum stake for the machines.
A WIDELY respected Minister quit the Government last night over its decision to delay a clampdown on betting machines which have been dubbed the “crack cocaine of gambling”.
Sport Minister Tracey Crouch resigned after Chancellor Philip Hammond was accused in the Budget of delaying a cut in the maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) by six months to October 2019.
The dramatic news of her departure from the Government came after Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss indicated that the Government was unlikely to bow to demands to bring forward the changes to April.
In her resignation letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, Ms Crouch said the delay would result in £1.6bn being lost on the highly addictive machines, and two people would commit suicide every day due to gambling related problems, adding: “For that reason as much as any other I believe this delay is unjustifiable”.
On Twitter, the Minister added: “It is with great sadness I have resigned from one of the best jobs in Government. Thank you so much for all the very kind messages of support I have received throughout the day.”
Mrs May said she was “disappointed” at the resignation and “sorry” Ms Crouch felt she had to go. A Tory source told The Yorkshire Post Ms Crouch was hugged by fellow MPs as she trooped through the voting lobbies as the Government’s Budget passed the House of Commons last night, and was earlier described as “angry and upset” by a colleague.
Before she quit, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright praised his junior Minister, saying “she deserves a large part of the credit for the substantive change that this Government is making” in cutting the maximum stake to £2.
During an urgent question in the Commons, he also insisted that the move was “not a delay”. But ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said the industry itself had recognised they could be ready by April 2019 and Mr Wright should hold them to the earlier date, adding: “I was under the impression then that the industry itself recognised they would need nine to 12 months to implement this.
“That would have taken us to around about April or May next year. I say to him, it is not too late.
“For the sake of those people whose families and lives have been destroyed, and there may yet be more, many more, to follow them, I urge him to think again and bring forward the date so we may end this scourge.”
Carolyn Harris, who chairs the all party parliamentary group on FOBTs, said she was “incandescent” at the delay, adding: “Don’t give me warm words, give me action – April 2019 –- we cannot lose any more lives because of these dreadful, dreadful machines.”
Mr Duncan Smith had asked Ms Truss if she would commit to discussing an earlier date when the Government’s Finance Bill, which enacts large parts of the Budget, comes before Parliament.
But Ms Truss responded: “We have brought the date forward for the FOBTs by six months, I don’t believe it’s an issue for the Finance Bill but I’m certainly happy to discuss it about what more we can do.”