Purnell tight-lipped on supercasinos

Culture secretary James Purnell (pictured) has refused to say whether his view of supercasinos has changed since he backed Manchester's bid in a Commons vote just months ago.Mr Purnell's department has been accused of being behind briefings that Las Vegas-style gambling meccas are "dead in the water" since Gordon Brown took over as prime minister at the end of June.Just three months earlier, when Tony Blair was in Number 10, Mr Purnell voted for Manchester to host Britain's first supercasino as part of a major extension of gambling.The vote passed in the House of Commons but was rejected by three votes in the House of Lords - meaning the bid stalled.Mr Brown also backed Manchester in the vote. Despite that, when he succeeded Mr Blair, he immediately ordered a review into whether there were better ways of regenerating areas like East Manchester, where the casino was supposed to be built.Sources have long indicated Mr Brown disapproved of supercasinos, and was simply following the official government line set down by Mr Blair.Mr Purnell was asked three times by the Manchester Evening News yesterday whether his view of supercasinos had changed since the vote in March. Each time he declined to answer the question directly.His first answer was: "The government has indicated we are looking at regeneration in that part of Manchester and seeing what the best approach is, whether there is an approach that is more effective."Asked again whether his personal view had changed, Mr Purnell repeated: "The review is still ongoing."And asked whether he couldn't say if his own view of supercasinos had changed, the MP said: "I'm just telling you exactly what the position is, which is that the review is ongoing and will report in due course."Mr Purnell, the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, also declined to comment on whether Manchester could expect any replacement project to create the same number of jobs as the supercasino - estimated at 3,500."It is fair to say we are looking at regeneration through the review," he said.Sir Richard Leese said at a meeting this month that Number 10 had denied it was the source of the "dead in the water" briefings. Instead he pointed the finger at Mr Purnell's department for culture, media and sport.The review is expected to be completed at the end of next month, when the fate of the supercasino will be known.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1017284_purnell_tightlipped_on_supercasinos