In March this year, Work and Pensions Minister Esther McVey went to the Cheltenham races with her long time on-and-off romantic interest Tory MP Philip Davies. The tickets and hospitality were provided for free by bookies William Hill, and worth a total of £540.
Fast forward to last week’s cabinet meeting, and the Times reported McVey “strongly objected” to government plans to reduce the maximum stake for fixed odds betting terms (FOBTs) from £100 to £2. Not unreasonably, some people are looking at McVey’s day at the races and her objection in cabinet, and asking if one led to the other.
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