Thursday, November 11, 2021
Parliament needs to sort out its standards regime
If I were in a council meeting and sought to influence a decision on an issue in an area I had a paid interest in, then it would result in a complaint to the Ombudsman and the imposition of sanctions. Alas, that does not appear to apply in Parliament.
The Mirror reports that Conservative MP, Laurence Robertson, who is paid £24,000 a year by the Betting and Gaming Council, an industry body that lobbies on behalf of bookmakers, used his position to ask ministers in Parliament not to back tough new laws on gambling:
In the past year, Mr Robertson has also been given free tickets by betting companies to horse-racing at Ascot, Test matches at Lord’s and England games at Wembley. He has also earned £2,000 a month for ten hours’ work as the BGC’s “parliamentary adviser on sport and safer gambling”.
While being employed by the BGC, he has spoken at least three times in parliament in defence of the gambling industry.
In the past year, the Tewkesbury MP told ministers there is a “great danger” that a crackdown on gambling could push players to the black market and argued against greater regulation of the industry, the Times reported. Mr Robertson denies any conflict of interest.
Last December, when the government's gambling review was announced, Mr Robertson demanded that the review was “evidence-based, consistent and balanced”.
In July he said that if new laws were “too stringent” then there would be “a great danger” that people would play on the black market and he told ministers that they needed to be “careful” about introducing new laws that could exacerbate the “worrying trend” of illicit gambling.
In September, after the appointment of a new minister, he again said that the government review would be “evidence-based and evidence-led”.
It came as it was revealed Tory MPs wrote “sponsored content” for a lobbying group that backs the gambling industry, according to a report in the Guardian.
They include government aide and Stoke South MP Jack Brereton, who penned an article for Conservative Home urging ministers to ensure the gambling review does “nothing to put the industry’s competitiveness at risk”.
He also heaped praise on betting company Bet365 for the “huge economic contribution that the betting giant makes to our constituencies” including “high skilled, good quality jobs”.
“It should also not be forgotten that Bet365 and its founders are the highest taxpayers in the UK, paying some £614.6m to the Treasury in 2019/20 – money which will have helped fund vital public services like health and education, not just in Stoke-on-Trent but across the whole country,” the article said.
The politicians were not paid for writing, but it is reported the Betting and Gaming Council paid the ConservativeHome website through an advertising agency for the space.
One of the Tory MPs, Philip Davies wrote an article labelled “sponsored by the Betting and Gaming Council” that appeared on ConservativeHome in April. In June, he declared a ticket and hospitality box at Ascot Races with a value of £1,400 paid for by the Betting and Gaming Council, in the MPs’ register of interests.
The MP for Shipley did not comment when approached by the Mirror.
Other Tory MPs who wrote sponsored content for the Betting and Gaming Council include Greg Smith, MP for Buckingham, who wrote a piece headlined “Betting shops are helping the high street get back on its feet” in June. His spokesperson said it was unpaid.
Meanwhile, Workington MP Mark Jenkinson wrote a sponsored piece in July, saying he had “grave concerns about calls by some anti-gambling campaigners that limits should be placed on how much individuals should be allowed to bet”. Jenkinson also declared a ticket and hospitality box at Ascot Races in June, with a value of £1,400, paid for by the Betting and Gaming Council. He did not respond to requests for comment.
The public have a right to expect that laws and decisions are made by MPs in an objective way and free of influence. Surely some reforms are needed to ensure that this at least looks like it is happening.
The Mirror reports that Conservative MP, Laurence Robertson, who is paid £24,000 a year by the Betting and Gaming Council, an industry body that lobbies on behalf of bookmakers, used his position to ask ministers in Parliament not to back tough new laws on gambling:
In the past year, Mr Robertson has also been given free tickets by betting companies to horse-racing at Ascot, Test matches at Lord’s and England games at Wembley. He has also earned £2,000 a month for ten hours’ work as the BGC’s “parliamentary adviser on sport and safer gambling”.
While being employed by the BGC, he has spoken at least three times in parliament in defence of the gambling industry.
In the past year, the Tewkesbury MP told ministers there is a “great danger” that a crackdown on gambling could push players to the black market and argued against greater regulation of the industry, the Times reported. Mr Robertson denies any conflict of interest.
Last December, when the government's gambling review was announced, Mr Robertson demanded that the review was “evidence-based, consistent and balanced”.
In July he said that if new laws were “too stringent” then there would be “a great danger” that people would play on the black market and he told ministers that they needed to be “careful” about introducing new laws that could exacerbate the “worrying trend” of illicit gambling.
In September, after the appointment of a new minister, he again said that the government review would be “evidence-based and evidence-led”.
It came as it was revealed Tory MPs wrote “sponsored content” for a lobbying group that backs the gambling industry, according to a report in the Guardian.
They include government aide and Stoke South MP Jack Brereton, who penned an article for Conservative Home urging ministers to ensure the gambling review does “nothing to put the industry’s competitiveness at risk”.
He also heaped praise on betting company Bet365 for the “huge economic contribution that the betting giant makes to our constituencies” including “high skilled, good quality jobs”.
“It should also not be forgotten that Bet365 and its founders are the highest taxpayers in the UK, paying some £614.6m to the Treasury in 2019/20 – money which will have helped fund vital public services like health and education, not just in Stoke-on-Trent but across the whole country,” the article said.
The politicians were not paid for writing, but it is reported the Betting and Gaming Council paid the ConservativeHome website through an advertising agency for the space.
One of the Tory MPs, Philip Davies wrote an article labelled “sponsored by the Betting and Gaming Council” that appeared on ConservativeHome in April. In June, he declared a ticket and hospitality box at Ascot Races with a value of £1,400 paid for by the Betting and Gaming Council, in the MPs’ register of interests.
The MP for Shipley did not comment when approached by the Mirror.
Other Tory MPs who wrote sponsored content for the Betting and Gaming Council include Greg Smith, MP for Buckingham, who wrote a piece headlined “Betting shops are helping the high street get back on its feet” in June. His spokesperson said it was unpaid.
Meanwhile, Workington MP Mark Jenkinson wrote a sponsored piece in July, saying he had “grave concerns about calls by some anti-gambling campaigners that limits should be placed on how much individuals should be allowed to bet”. Jenkinson also declared a ticket and hospitality box at Ascot Races in June, with a value of £1,400, paid for by the Betting and Gaming Council. He did not respond to requests for comment.
The public have a right to expect that laws and decisions are made by MPs in an objective way and free of influence. Surely some reforms are needed to ensure that this at least looks like it is happening.
