FORMER Conservative Prime Minister John Major has accused the Government of grand larceny over the Lottery.
Major, who was defeated by Tony Blair in 1997, made his accusation during a televised interview.
He claimed that when he ushered in the Lottery a decade ago, both Labour and the Conservatives agreed that the money it raised should not be used to support key Government responsibilities such as healthcare.
But Mr Major claimed that this was precisely what was now happening.
He added: "That is money that was not intended to be used for Government purposes.
"I think this is grand larceny. This is now being used as a substitute for Government funding. That is not what it was intended for."
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