An action-packed week in Westminster as the Government bets on gambling reform and Kemi crumbles under the pressure at PMQs.
Read all about it in this week's Who's Top Who's Not!
Top: Baroness Twycross
WTWN’s money is on Baroness Twycross for top player of the week.
The Minister for Gambling has this week confirmed plans to tackle gambling in the UK. The Government will approve a new ‘statutory levy’ on gambling firms, taxing 1% of their gross yield to support research, education and treatment of gambling addiction. Based on figures from the Gambling Commission, this would raise £109m.
The new announcement has received cross-party support from the likes of former Tory Leader Iain Duncan Smith. The changes are due to take effect next year.
Naturally, betting sites and gambling companies have criticised the new levies, appalled that they should contribute to the greater good (shock horror!). However, WTWN thinks these plans have given the Labour Party much needed good press this week after facing a petition for a second general election, and this morning’s announcement that Transport Secretary Louise Hague has resigned after pleading guilty to lying about having her phone stolen.
Middle: Liz Kendall
This week, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall revealed the new ‘Great Britain Working’ blueprint which sets out to politely encourage (read: force) young people and those with long-term illnesses back to work with the ultimatum that if they don’t, they will lose their benefits.
The government claimed that these measures will increase the employment rate from 75% to 80% and will include an independent review of what UK employers are doing to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces.
This all seems well and good, however, the government seems to have forgotten about their plans to increase employer’s National Insurance, meaning that businesses will be looking to cut jobs rather than hire new staff.
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately went as far as saying that these new plans are the equivalent of ‘putting more deck chairs on the Titanic’. Although this is a damning critique, WTWN questions the practicality of these plans, and the government should be careful not to over-promise and under-deliver.
Bottom: Kemi Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch has had a tough week in the press, facing criticism for her performance in her third PMQs as Leader of the Opposition. The Guardian argued that Kemi has been unable to make an impact in the Commons during her performances so far, with much of the damage being self-inflicted. The Financial Times has also criticised Kemi for her lack of understanding of opposition strategy in which it is essential to acknowledge the reason why the party is in opposition. Without doing so, it will become impossible to return to power in the future.
By vowing to start afresh and approaching PMQs with a degree of belligerence, she has found herself subject to criticism. Badenoch attempted to bring some humour by referencing the recent comments made by the McVitie’s CEO regarding Labour’s financial strategy. She joked that businesspeople were struggling to ‘digest the budget’ which fell on deaf ears in the Commons. Unfortunately, it did not end there. Kemi continued to describe Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as a ‘ginger nut’. WTWN hoped that Kemi would rise to the challenge, but unfortunately that’s just the way the cookie crumbles…