Embarrassment for rising star of Labour and betting shop critic Chuka Umunna after he accepts £20,000 gift from gambling executive
Close ally of Ed Miliband accused of hypocrisy by the Tories
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chuka Umunna, a rising star of the shadow Cabinet, faces embarrassment after it emerged he received a £20,000 gift from an emeritus gambling executive at the same time as campaigning against the proliferation of betting shops in his constituency.
Mr Umunna, who is widely regarded as a future Labour leader, accepted the donation from Neil Goulden, the chairman emeritus of the Gala Coral Group, which owns more than 1,700 bookmakers.
The shadow Business Secretary was accused of hypocrisy by the Tories for accepting the money. They pointed out he recently ran a campaign in his south London seat of Streatham in which he promised “new powers to control the number of betting shops”.
Mr Goulden spent 10 years as managing director, chief executive and chairman of Gala Coral and still acts as a consultant to the group.
Mr Umunna registered the gift last month and said he would use it to support his office and contribute towards staff costs.
A spokesman said: “This donation was made by an individual Labour Party supporter in a personal capacity and was accepted in accordance with the rules and properly declared.”
Mr Umunna, who is a close ally of Ed Miliband, has faced a series of controversies in recent months which supporters blame Conservative headquarters for generating.
They include the disclosure that in 2006 he protested that some London nightspots “seem to be full of trash and C-list wannabes”. Days later his office was accused of adding comparisons with Barack Obama to his Wikipedia entry.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments