My father, Jimmy Thomas, who has died aged 88, loved a scrap. In the course of his work in the casino and gambling industry, he would go up against lawyers, planning departments, European legislators, parking wardens – particularly parking wardens – and people who wrote and rewrote gambling laws. He also had a very well-publicised fight with David Cameron which found its way on to the front pages in 2012 – when he protested about VAT being charged on refurbishment work at the Royal Marsden hospital.
His weapons of choice were common sense, tenacity, and a great memory for rules … and how to bend them. He rarely lost a battle, and he ensured many others won theirs.
