Finance Bill

I do not speak from the Front Bench—and probably never will—and my hon. Friend the Member for Hammersmith and Fulham (Mr. Hands) spoke with great clarity on this subject. I just want to talk about the situation of that small family club in Rushden. The owner makes the point:""Bingo is a working class pastime. It has amazed me that after 30 years it is a labour government that has brought us to the brink of closure."" He wants to keep the club open because, if it closes, he""can see all those lovely warm grandmothers, everyone's 'Nan', sitting in a lonely room, waiting to be picked up to go to her bingo night out which she loves. But it's gone. So where can she go now for a night out, with a friend, or on her own because the staff and people are so friendly. Where?"" It is that social element that I do not think that the Government have addressed at all. They must think again. The owner goes on to say:""We are not 'casinos' we are not 'bookies', we are totally different, we rely on lots of people so we need big venues, and the spending is small amounts, yet we are taxed 'more heavily'?""I understand the increase in GPT can still be blocked and plead with you to do so, because, in short, it's insane."" Tonight I will do everything I can to block it.