House of Lords Scuppers UK Casino Law

The House of Lords threw the New Labour government a curve (or perhaps, bowled Mr. Blair a googly) by defeating the proposed casino law in the UK. Although the House of Commons had passed the measure with a majority of 24, Their Lordships decided by three votes that the Casino Advisory Panel’s recommendations were bad for the country. Tessa Jowell, Labour’s culture secretary, plain and simple botched it.

As discussed in an earlier edition of this journal, the country’s only “supercasino” would go to Manchester, and 16 other smaller casinos would be spread around the nation. The Casino Advisory Panel existed solely to give Labour some insulation in creating only one supercasino (several more were initially planned, but the idea for a plural number ran into very early opposition). When it picked Manchester, a 16-1 outside shot according to Ladbroke’s, that insulation proved as reliable as that on the Space Shuttle.

Ms. Jowell made a dreadful parliamentary error, though, in putting the whole thing into a single order. Gordon Marsden, MP for Blackpool South (Blackpool having lost its bid for the supercasino), said, “The sensible thing for the government to do, given the disquiet, is to withdraw the order and refer the proposals in respect of the regional casino to the proper joint scrutiny of both houses.” Instead, she decided to load everything into one vote. Wooing backbench MPs took a great deal of her time and effort, but she failed to do the same in the Lords. Now, she can’t bring the order back for six months – by which time Mr. Blair will no longer be Prime Minister, and Mr. Brown (his likely successor) may want his own person in her job.

Manchester Blackley Labour MP Graham Stringer told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program, “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. What we can’t have is an unelected house trying to effectively reopen the debate on the Gambling Act.” Thus, Ms. Jowell has not only failed to get the casino legislation passed, she has also managed to create a potential constitutional crisis.

The Conservative leader in the Lords, Lord Strathclyde, offered a way out for Ms. Jowell, suggesting a new order that has Manchester’s supercasino stripped out, allowing the other smaller gambling dens to move forward. Thus, Manchester pays the price for her bungling. Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Angie Robinson, said, “This is complete madness and we are bitterly disappointed at this absolutely outrageous decision. The supercasino would have brought much-needed jobs and investment to one of the most deprived areas in the country.” Ms. Jowell is not in need of a new job, and more’s the pity.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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