SHIPLEY MP Philip Davies has said he did not push for a delay to the introduction of a limit to stakes on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs).

Culture Secretary Tracey Crouch resigned last week after plans to limit stakes were put back to 2020, and suggested "MPs with registered interests" had gone over head on the decision.

Mr Davies, chairman of the Parliamentary All Party Betting and Gaming Group said he "merely pointed out" to Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright that a decision had already been made to implement curbs on the controversial gambling machines in April 2020.

Former sports minister Tracey Crouch said last week that she had chosen to resign because there been a six-month hold-up in the plans she was overseeing.

Ms Crouch had repeatedly said she would cut maximum stakes on FOBTs from £100 to £2 and make the change in April 2019.

The MP was angered by Chancellor Philip Hammond's decision to push back the change to October 2019.

She quit in protest, saying two people would take their lives per day due to gambling addiction in the interim.

Mr Davies told BBC Radio 5 Live that he had met Mr Wright following his appointment at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in July.

The chairman of the Parliamentary All Party Betting and Gaming Group said the Culture Secretary was "minded to introduce the reduction in stake in 2019".

"I merely pointed out to him that as far as I was concerned, I wasn't wanting him to delay it, I was pointing out to him that the decision had already been taken to implement this decision in 2020," Mr Davies said.

In her resignation letter Ms Crouch said the implementation of changes had been delayed until October 2019 "due to commitments made by others to those with registered interests".

When asked by Radio 5 Live on Sunday whether she blamed Mr Davies, a fellow Conservative MP, she said: "It's a fact there are MPs very interested in the bookmaking industry and clearly they were more persuasive in their arguments than I was.

"Philip, who I admire on many issues, is very vocal in parliament on behalf of the betting industry.

"On this occasion I just clearly was not as persuasive."