‘Anti-gambling’ Tristram Hunt’s £40k from bookie
ConSIDerIng his recent dismal track record, few are surprised tristram Hunt is rumoured to be one of the first Labour MPs to face a deselection battle as part of the Corbynistas’ revenge against their rightwing opponents.
It won’t help his chances of facing off any challenge as it emerges that his moralistic campaign to protect people from the awful social effects of gambling has been compromised.
the privately educated peer’s son bottled out of standing against Jeremy Corbyn as leader. then he stood down from the Shadow Cabinet and busied himself backing a controversial proposal to replace god Save the Queen with an anthem to be played before sporting events involving england teams.
But now it is his changed stance towards the betting industry that has raised eyebrows.
Some years ago, he described the increase in the number of bookmakers’ shops under the last Labour government as ‘a scandal’ — accusing ministers of ‘ditching morality for the market’ — and he warned of ‘wretched social consequences’.
As part of this admirable crusade, he also condemned bookmakers William Hill for avoiding tax by basing some of its operations in the tax haven of gibraltar.
So why, according to the latest MPs register of interests, has Hunt accepted £40,000 from Peter Coates, chairman of Bet365, one of Britain’s most successful gambling companies? thanks to some of its subsidiaries being based in gibraltar, the company legally avoided £5million in corporation tax in 2011 and £8 million in 2010.
If I were a betting man, I’d place a large wager on the right Hon tristram Hunt spending more time with his family in the future.