"According to an invitation seen by the Guardian, the event will be hosted by Michael Dugher, the chair of the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC), who joined Brunswick as a part-time senior adviser last year. Dugher, a former Labour MP who stepped down during Jeremy Corbyn's stint as party leader, has since built a career as a pugnacious and sometimes controversial champion of Britain's gambling industry."
"The former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said the decision raises real questions about the chancellor's judgment and impartiality on this matter particularly when it is already widely known that she has taken both recent hospitality and donations from the sector. Reeves accepted three tickets to a musical worth 330, courtesy of the BGC in 2023 as well as 20,000 in donations from gambling executives while Labour was in opposition."
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is scheduled to appear as guest of honour at a private Brunswick reception during the Labour conference in Liverpool hosted by Michael Dugher, chair of the Betting & Gaming Council (BGC). Dugher joined Brunswick as a part-time senior adviser last year and has lobbied BGC members to oppose Treasury plans to increase taxes on the gambling sector. Gambling companies could avoid billions in additional duties if planned increases are not implemented. Reeves and Dugher have a longstanding personal and political friendship dating back to their teenage years. MPs and campaigners have urged Reeves to decline the invitation, citing concerns about timing, judgment and impartiality given past hospitality and donations from gambling executives. Reeves accepted three tickets to a musical worth 330 from the BGC in 2023 and received 20,000 in donations while Labour was in opposition. Attendance could undermine confidence during the ongoing Treasury review of the 12bn sector.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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