Speeches by Dean.

“So those profit margins are probably about right. We have also seen quite a hefty increase in gambling yield since the pandemic: about 10%. We see a lot of that in the revenue for HMRC, via the remote gaming duty. Is it true to say that a lot of the growth has been driven by the rise of online gambling since the pandem…”

“But, just as a quick preliminary, are they in the right ballpark?”

“We have heard quite a lot of conflicting pieces of data this morning, so I want to ask a couple of preliminary questions for clarification. I have the profit margins of some of your members here: Entain plc had a profit margin of 25.3% in 2024-25, while Flutter, Bet365 and Evoke plc were all above 16%. Are those the ki…”

“I believe colleagues want to come in on this point about Laffer curves. We are that type of Committee.”

“Can I instead ask you a question that you may be able to answer, then? In your opinion, is this an issue, or is the way that we tax gambling sufficient? Do we need to introduce further regulation that means these people are onshore so that we can tax their profits as well as through particular levies?”

“Dr Bertram, you mentioned the corporation tax rate being lower, at 15%, and there being no VAT. Are these the simple reasons why people base themselves in Gibraltar, or are there other reasons?”

“Mr Kenny, I know you want to come in, but I guess what Dr Bertram is getting at is that there are other tools available to tackle the black market. We have had tax rises in the gambling industry in the past, probably in the time of your tenure. Can you tell us about the effects of the increases in tax on the gambling i…”

“I think it is clear that when we have these economic problems, the number of variables involved makes it quite hard to predict what the actual outcome is going to be. I guess this goes to the heart of some of our earlier questions: are we introducing these taxes to raise more revenue to help the Chancellor with her fis…”

“To continue on that theme, we will have the Betting and Gaming Council here in a moment, and they will probably point out to us that taxes went up in the Netherlands and revenue was reduced as a result. I just want to give you an opportunity to respond to that point, which they are likely to make in a moment. Perhaps I…”

“I think the hon. Member will find that across the country there will be opposition politicians opposing developments. In Sutton council in my borough, where we are in control, we are outstripping all of London in house building, and I am very proud of that record. In order to fix the housing crisis, we need sustained w…”

“Surprise, surprise, I do not. I will come on to the reasons why. Mortgage companies will lend around four times someone’s income, so we can see how big the problem is. A couple may stand a chance of getting a mortgage; someone on their own has no chance. The other problem with house prices accelerating away from wages …”

“I thank the hon. Member for bringing me on to my next point early. I want to address this proposed £47 billion in public spending cuts. If the Conservatives were to hand over that proposal in its current form to the Office for Budget Responsibility, it would laugh them out of the front door. Those cuts are not credible…”

“Ask any economist, or indeed most Members in the Chamber today, and they would say that stamp duty is a bad tax. It creates friction in the market, whether we are talking about someone in a one-bedroom flat who is trying to take the step up to a family home, but who finds that their savings goal is now that much more, …”

“When the hon. Gentleman refers to covid, I think he is referring to total debt, which has increased. We are talking specifically about why the civil service has increased in size. A lot of that can be attributed to the new functions that the UK Government have had to take on. On the welfare budget, yes, the Government …”

“Exactly. He obviously was not paying enough attention to our argument. Yes, we did agree with the analysis that stamp duty is a poor tax, but we could not support the motion, because we do not think there is a credible plan for abolishing it. We would like to see a much more holistic review of property taxes, alongside…”

“I thank the right hon. Gentleman for giving way after his fantastic punchline, which everybody really enjoyed.”

“I will make some progress; I have been intervened on quite a few times. In the Chamber, we may agree on the analysis of stamp duty’s failings, but the Liberal Democrats cannot support the motion, because it is not a credible plan. Also, if a stamp duty cut were made in isolation, it might not deliver what Conservative …”

“I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. I made the point earlier that the welfare bill went up on the Conservative Government’s watch, not least because they cut back NHS funding.”

“2. What steps his Department is taking to assess the effectiveness of the Access to Work scheme in helping to enable long-term career progression for disabled people.”

“A constituent came to my surgery the other week who felt pretty frustrated that the Access to Work scheme, which once supported him, was pulling the rug from beneath his feet as he progressed in his career. He has been a model example; he has not let his multiple neurodivergent diagnoses hold him back. He has worked ha…”