JB

It is striking that the only politicians to call for lower taxes on the high street gambling industry are now essentially from the nationalist Right. Yet looking at the comments on his post, Lowe’s own supporters are unanimously in favour of *reducing* the industry’s presence in white, working class communities. I remember when the @BetGameCouncil promoted this same culture war narrative about the working class during Michael Dugher’s disastrous tenure. This was not just irresponsible (as I wrote back then in an article for the Critic — thecritic.co.uk/dont-let-the… ) — but also misguided, as it assumes that British working class communities deserve nothing better than high street wastelands of vape shops, kebab shops, Turkish barbers and arcades. Lowe talks about Great Yarmouth, where he is the MP. I know Yarmouth well, as my parents live nearby. He talks about the arcades and the local economy. But Rupert Lowe is not from Norfolk, he doesn’t know the town from back when it had a proper maritime economy, he doesn’t know how most Norfolk people hate the degradation and despondency that has taken hold of Yarmouth and other towns in the county. He might be the current MP, parachuted in because of current political circumstances, but he seems to have no positive or transformative vision for the community. And when it comes to the high street, his own supporters can see this lack of vision — and reject it.

A slightly increased Machine Games Duty to cover business rates relief for hospitality. A logical decision, on balance. It is good to see policy decisions designed to help high streets and small business. With the MGD tax decision made, it is time to concentrate on the next stage: a comprehensive look at the case for a new Gambling Act. Work will now begin on this in earnest. We hope that industry lobbyists will finally understand the direction of travel, and start engaging constructively.