Casino defeat could cost Jowell her job

Plans for Britain's first and only supercasino could be thrown into chaos this week by a humiliating Parliamentary defeat for Tessa Jowell.

The Culture Secretary could face calls to resign as up to 80 Labour MPs rebel against the decision to award the licence to Manchester.

The city was chosen by the independent Casino Advisory Panel, but Miss Jowell is understood to have ignored last-minute interventions by John Prescott and Lancashire MPs, who favoured Blackpool, when she accepted it.

Now she looks almost certain to lose at least one of two crunch votes in the Commons and the Lords on Wednesday. If either vote is lost, the Government will have to go back to the drawing board.

Miss Jowell, who has championed plans for the Manchester supercasino and 16 smaller casinos elsewhere, was last night said to be in reflective mood as she "stared down the barrel of a gun".

So far 83 Labour MPs have signed a Commons motion expressing "surprise and regret" that the supercasino had not been awarded to Blackpool. It would take only 33 rebels to wipe out the Government's Commons majority.

The Tories will vote against the motion in both Houses. The Liberal Democrats and significant numbers of Labour peers also oppose the plans.

Shadow Culture Secretary Hugo Swire said: "If I was Tessa Jowell, I would not try to force this through against a coalition of concern from church leaders and people right across the political spectrum, apparently including Gordon Brown."

The Chancellor imposed sizeable and unexpected taxes on gambling in last week's Budget.