Human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger has issued a rallying cry to town hall chiefs — urging them to “fight all the way” to block a giant slot machine casino from opening opposite Earl’s Court Tube station.

Firebrand Jagger joined a noisy street protest outside gambling firm SilverTime Amusements’ proposed new venue — a shuttered Lloyds Bank site in Hogarth Road just yards across from the station.

And the stakes could not be higher.

A crunch RBKC planning meeting this Thursday is expected to reject the scheme — but insiders say SilverTime are already poised to appeal, triggering a legal showdown that could cost both the firm and the Council a fortune.

Jagger, who was famously married to rock legend Mick Jagger during the 1970s, didn’t hold back.

“They will hire some of the most efficient and powerful lawyers to fight for an appeal and we should continue to ask the Council to deny approval,” she told The Citizen.

And it seems she has a powerful backer. Council leader Elizabeth Campbell — standing shoulder-to-shoulder with protesters — vowed the borough would dig deep to fight any appeal.

When challenged by The Citizen if she would vow to back protesters all the way, no matter the cost, she declared: “Yes we’re ready to pay the money – 100 per cent.” Protesters surrounding her cheered audibly when they heard Ms Campbell’s unequivocal statement.

The protest kicked off at 6pm under heavy skies and a chill breeze, with more than 80 residents packing into Hogarth Road in a show of force.

Commuters spilling out of Earl’s Court station were met by a wall of banners screaming: “Don’t let gambling take over our high street” and “Stop SilverTime expansion” — while passing drivers blasted their horns in support.

At the heart of the fury? Fears the new venue — reportedly a £11 million investment bet already laid by SilverTime — will supercharge antisocial behaviour in the area and turn it into a “gambling hub”.

SilverTime already operates just doors away and plans to shut that site before opening the new one, which represents many times the exterior shopfront space and a branding beacon for the company.

But critics say this is no simple swap. Jagger warned the venue would “exploit” children, fuel crime and blight streets already home to vulnerable residents and rehab’ centres.

“Children will be tempted to come here and that’s my main concern,” she said. “They are trying to lure them and other vulnerable people.”

Locals echoed her anger. Earl’s Court Association vice-chair Sandra Yarwood blasted the plans: “We don’t want it — a casino here with its massive frontage right opposite the station, open 24 hours a day.”

Resident Sherry Kernan fumed: “I’ve lived here for 25 years and we already have two racing parlours, two gaming parlours — and now they want a huge den of iniquity. We’re not having it.”

Neighbour David Christopherson added: “This is a residential area… a round-the-clock licence is totally unacceptable.”

Labour MP Joe Powell warned the fight may not end soon. “They will come back again, and again and again until they get their way,” he told the crowd — revealing plans to push Parliament to toughen gambling laws through new “cumulative impact” rules.

“So what we’re going to do next week is amend the Devolution bill, which we will be voting on in Parliament next week to include something called gambling, cumulative impact assessments.

“Now, I know that sounds very tedious, but it is a tool that we can then use to make sure that we have a stronger chance of rejecting these applications in the first place.”

Ward councillor Linda Wade delivered a blunt verdict: the casino “simply must be stopped.”

SilverTime, who have been asked for comment on last night’s protest, have insisted critics have it wrong. The firm says it’s merely relocating — not expanding — its long-standing Earl’s Court operation, which has run for years without reported trouble.

The new site, they argue, will still be “below average” in size, tightly regulated, and limited to ground-floor gambling only — with upper floors turned into housing.

Their bottom line? This is a “straightforward” move — not the birth of a new gambling hotspot. 

But on the streets of Earl’s Court, residents aren’t buying it. And with a planning showdown on the horizon — and a costly appeal looming — this battle is only just getting started. All bets are off on who will win.