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Fresh Trouble for Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is being further drawn into controversy as new evidence emerged concerning his casino dealings. The new evidence contradicts an earlier claim by the government that the deputy prime minister had no role in official policy one casinos.

Conservative Shadow Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport has called for a full Commons statement, urging the Deputy Prime Minister to make a full disclosure to determine his full involvement in the casino issue.

Deputy Prime Minister Prescott is being grilled regarding his 'sleep-over' at the Colorado estate of US tycoon Philip Anschutz during his nine-day trip to the USA summer last year. Anschutz is the owner of Anschutz Entertainment Group of AEG, which was handed the lease of the Millenium Dome in 2004, a deal which is still ongoing with the government.

It has also come to light that Prescott has met the American billionaire bidding to turn the Millennium Dome into a super casino on seven separate occasions. According to him, his meetings with the US tycoon took place over a three-year period leading up to last summer's visit in July. However he strongly denied that they had discussed the sale of the Millennium Dome.

"I can categorically confirm that no discussion took place about the sale of the Dome (indeed contracts had been signed three years earlier), nor about the awarding of regional casino licences," he said.

Prescott failed to document his visit in his entry Commons Register of Interests despite the fact that in March 2006, the Department of the Minister put forth a revised national planning regulations in casinos, a move that directly affected the planned casino for the Millennium Dome.

Further inquiries by the conservatives have also revealed that the deputy prime minister paid a visit to the Sydney Star Casino complex November of 2004. Allegedly, it was on 'official business' aimed 'to get a feel for what an establishment of that size was like' as accompanied by a 'government relations officer'. The Cabinet Office made an attempt previously to hide the trip under the category 'regeneration site visit', showing that Prescott has a direct interest in the use of gambling for regeneration, like the Greenwich Peninsula and the controversial Millennium Dome.

"The Government must make a full statement to Parliament on the precise role of John Prescott over casinos. It is clear that Mr Prescott has a direct and personal involvement, but despite his stay at the 32,000 acre home of an American billionaire, he did not declare his interests to the Commons. Mr Prescott's wheeling and dealing causes further concern that Labour's determination to relax gambling laws is being driven by big business, not the public interest," conservative Shadow Secretary Hugo Swire pressed.