The July 4 general election in the UK delivered a landslide victory to the Labour Party. Sir Keir Starmer is the new prime minister, the first non-Conservative Party leader of the nation in 14 years.
The election has caused a major shake-up of Parliament. Obviously, there is a new cabinet, but junior ministers have also changed, with many of the old guard losing their seats.
For the industry, this will mean building new alliances in Westminster, particularly while the proposals from the previous government’s gambling-reform White Paper are still to be rolled out in full.
Among the White Paper reforms are a statutory levy to help fund solutions to gambling-related harm, an ombudsman, online financial-risk checks, reduced-stake limits for online slots, a code of practice for sports sponsorship, and proposals to modernise the land-based casino sector.
The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), the UK’s gambling-standards body, welcomed the new prime minister and highlighted Labour’s pledge to work with the industry, while driving up standards on responsible gambling.
“The BGC and our members remain committed to working with Labour to implement the evidence-based, proportionate, regulatory changes outlined in the White Paper, ensuring those measures get the balance right between protecting the vulnerable, while allowing the vast majority of punters who enjoying betting responsibly to continue doing so without unnecessary intrusion,” BGC chair Michael Dugher said.
“The BGC had long treated Labour as a government in waiting, working closely with shadow ministers in recent years, on behalf of our members and their millions of customers.
“Our work to drive up standards and champion a world leading British industry carries on and we look forward to partnering with Labour, as they have pledged, in this vitally important work.”
So whom will they be working with? The new Secretary of State Lisa Nandy may not be overly familiar to the BGC, as she steps into the role after the former shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Thangam Debbonaire, lost her seat.
Nandy, who stood to be Labour Party leader in 2020, has served as shadow minister for children, shadow secretary for civil society and more recently, shadow foreign secretary, shadow levelling up secretary, and shadow international development cabinet minister.
She is considered to be to the left of the party, which may influence the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS) stance on gambling reform. Her mission statement on taking office has been to end culture wars and create renewed pride in British culture. It’s unclear how that may manifest where gambling is concerned.
Stephanie Peacock has been appointed to DCMS as gambling minister. She has been the shadow minister for sport, gambling and media for the last 10 months and is therefore well versed on the issues affecting the industry, including those around regulatory reform.
Peacock has been welcomed by the horse-racing industry, where she is seen as an ally to the sport, having argued that “the future of racing must be protected for generations to come”. She has also acknowledged concerns around affordability checks in the past.
For gambling activity tied to sports like these, which play heavily into the culture of Britain and its identity, Labour looks set to be a supportive influence. For the less culturally significant part of the industry, the road ahead is perhaps less certain.
Historically, Labour has been pivotal in forging the UK’s gambling industry. In 2005, a Labour government ushered in the gambling legislation now being modernised.
Doubtless, the party will uphold White Paper reforms that endeavour to enforce player safety, perhaps even taking them further. For the industry, it is now critical to build a rapport with the new DCMS team if it is to see the legislative nuance it needs in some of the more complex changes, such as those related to financial checks.
