WESTMINSTER MPs and parties benefited from over £100,000 in gifts and donations from the gambling industry in the past year.
To note, BGC also employed Tory MP candidate Laurence Robertson as an adviser until June 2023. He was paid £2000 for 10 hours of work a month, equivalent to £24,000 a year. This adds to the thousands of pounds also paid by racing track firms – including the Arena Racing Company and Ascot Authority – to entertain MPs.
But private companies and wealthy individuals can fund additional staff, helping MPs to expand their teams and build their public profile. Mendelsohn previously served as a key policy advisor to the New Labour government under prime minister Tony Blair. “When push comes to shove, getting something back might just be your silence. Don't vote on something, abstain on something – it’s very hard to prove all this,” he added.
“It’s about making gambling as safe as it possibly can. The internet, the speed of the gambling, the amount people can gamble, the lack of investment into helping support,” he said.