Tessa Jowell is refusing to back down on the government's all-or-nothing plans for issuing 17 new casinos licences, including the first regional casino, to be built in Manchester, on the day that the House of Lords votes on the issue - which could potentially overturn the decision and see no licences issued at all.
The Culture Secretary was dealt a massive blow when the opposition Conservative Party said it would vote with rebels from her own Labour Government. Just days earlier, Chancellor Gordon Brown also raised tax on the casino industry’s profits, and faced claims that he was undermining his own government’s policies on gambling laws.
A petition to move the regional casino site from Manchester to Blackpool has received 11,000 signatures and will be delivered to Number 10 Downing Street and Jowell’s office.
There had been a suggestion that Jowell could try and diffuse the situation by separating the 16 large and small casinos from the one regional casino in the vote, and allow more time to scrutinise the Casino Advisory Panel’s decision to award the key licence to Manchester, but this was rejected by Jowell.
A spokesman for Jowell said: "We are going ahead as planned. We are confident that we will get it through both Houses and there are no plans to change it."
