Labour received gifts worth £1m from gambling sector

Rachel Reeves and Jonathan Reynolds among ministers who accepted free tickets to musicals and football matches

Senior Labour figures have received gifts worth £1 million from the gambling sector, it has emerged.
Rachel Reeves accepted three tickets for a musical last year from the Betting and Gaming Council, as well as £20,000 in donations to fund her private office from gambling bosses ahead of the general election.
Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, also accepted a ticket for the European Championship semi-final at Wembley between England and Denmark from a company that owns Ladbrokes and Sportingbet.
The £3,457 ticket and matchday hospitality was given to Mr Reynolds by Entain in July 2021, according to analysis of MPs’ registers of interest by The Times.
Louise Haigh, the Transport Secretary, also received tickets and hospitality for a League One match between Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday at Wembley in May 2022, among £1,421 of gifts from the firm.
Overall, the party has accepted £1.08 million from figures within, and connected to, the gambling sector, the majority from an ex-casino entrepreneur.
The revelations come after Sir Keir Starmer became embroiled in a donations row last month over gifts including clothes and spectacles accepted from Lord Alli, the Labour peer.
The Prime Minister previously accepted a £25,000 donation in support of his leadership campaign in 2020 from Peter Coates, the chief executive of bet365.
The donations from the gambling sector risk further inflaming the row over gifts and hospitality accepted by the Labour Party and senior Cabinet figures.
Derek Webb, a former international poker player and table game designer, gave £750,000 to Labour this year and £300,000 in 2023.
Mr Webb has provided financial support behind efforts to reform the gambling sector, including legal support for Gambling with Lives, a charity that represents families bereaved by suicide.
Tens of thousands of pounds have also come from Richard Flint, the former chief executive of SkyBet, and Lord Mendelsohn, a Labour peer and the chairman of Evoke, a firm behind William Hill.
Rosie Duffield, a backbench MP, quit the Labour Party last week accusing Sir Keir of presiding over “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice” that is “off the scale”.
She said he was unfit for office after “inexplicably” choosing to accept designer suits from Lord Alli, while at the same time pursuing “cruel and unnecessary” policies, such as the two-child benefit cap and the scrapping of winter fuel payments.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Lord Alli.
Labour has been contacted for comment.