Dismay as UK gambling reform white paper shelved for fourth time

theguardian.com:

Proposals to reform gambling laws have been postponed for a fourth time amid turmoil at top of the Conservative party, sparking outrage from campaigners who warned the delay would cost lives.

Advisers to Boris Johnson concluded that a white paper, which was scheduled to go ahead next week, could not be published until a new leader of the Conservative party is elected to replace him as prime minister.

The latest of a series of delays comes amid a tussle between different Tory party factions over the content of the plans, multiple Whitehall sources said.

Pro-reform MPs, led by Iain Duncan Smith, had sought to persuade Boris Johnson that tough curbs could burnish his legacy and were hopeful of success after the white paper was scheduled for next Tuesday on Downing Street’s announcement “grid”.

But senior adviser David Canzini is understood to have told Johnson that he could not publish it as it would require legislation from his successor.

MPs voiced concern earlier this week that advisers with past ties to the gambling industry, including Canzini, might obstruct or dilute proposed reforms, such as affordability checks or a mandatory levy to fund addiction services.

On Wednesday ministers dropped plans to push through an online safety bill next week on similar grounds, leading to allegations of a vacuum at the heart of government.

It is the fourth time that the gambling white paper, the culmination of a review announced in 2019, has been shelved.

The delay means proposals will not be published until a new Tory leader is elected in September, at the earliest, and is a blow to those pushing for tougher reforms.

A spokesperson for Gambling With Lives, a charity set up by parents whose children took their own lives after a gambling