Casino Bill in tatters

Author: Simon Dexter

Despite this week’s rejection by the House of Lords of Manchester as it’s preferred casino site, the government intend to press on with their attempts to build a supercasino in Britain.

Unfortunately, they have also admitted there was no obvious way forward after the vote went narrowly against the government.

The culture secretary Tessa Jowell was adamant that her department would press ahead with the idea. However, the prime minister’s office gave another point of view.

“Ministers will want to reflect on where we are,” said an official.

“What nobody should be in any doubt about is the intention.”

The spokesman was quick to point out that the vote had been won in the Commons (by 24 votes), despite it being lost in the Lords (by three votes).

“In the Commons, the government won last night. That is the important thing,” he said.

Any further announcements about the matter have been put on hold until after the local elections on May 3.

The defeat is a major blow to Jowell, who had already had to make concessions on her original proposal which had included plans for up to 40 super casinos.

Following a public outcry, her plans were scaled down to 8 super casinos before being cut further to just the one mega casino.

The announcement last month that the site for the new mega casino was to be Manchester instead of the more likely sites of Blackpool or the Dome in London, was a major surprise.

Jowell gambled on the bill going through leaving MP’s and the Lords having to reject the idea of the 16 smaller casinos, if they also voted against Manchester as the choice for the mega casino.

Manchester MP Graham Stringer called on ministers to “stick to their guns” and overrule the unelected Lords.

“The Commons have decided that the large casino should come to Manchester and it is now a constitutional issue about how the Commons asserts its authority,” said Mr Stringer.

“What we can’t have is an unelected house trying to effectively reopen the debate on the Gambling Act.”

The Conservative leader in the Lords, Lord Strathclyde, believes the whole situation could have been avoided and suggested the bill should be returned to the Lords with amendments.

“The government could wholly have avoided this situation,” said Lord Strathclyde.

“It has ended in shambles and chaos almost entirely due to government failure.”

The vote comes as a shattering blow to Manchester, who had hoped the casino plan would have regenerated one of the poorest parts of the city.

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