By Victoria Morgan, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the BHA

The early General Election in July took everyone by surprise. British racing’s leaders had worked tirelessly to secure vital reform to the Levy, only for a deal to be scuppered at the last minute by the snap election.

Despite the frustration at Levy negotiations being unexpectedly curtailed, the election has provided an opportunity for racing to engage with not only a new government, but with a transformed Parliament. This blog provides a brief overview of how the BHA has approached the Government’s first 100 days in power.

The challenge

While the election of a Labour government was an odds-on certainty, it was less clear how the party viewed racing’s key issues. The only topic connected to racing in its manifesto was gambling, about which it simply stated:

Labour is committed to reducing gambling-related harm. Recognising the evolution of the gambling landscape since 2005, Labour will reform gambling regulation, strengthening protections. We will continue to work with the industry on how to ensure responsible gambling.

This echoed comments by Labour in opposition that it supported the aims of the previous government’s White Paper without providing detail on any specific measures it may consider to reform gambling regulation beyond this.

The sense of uncertainty around gambling and sport policy was compounded by the fact that the former Shadow Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Thangam Debbonaire, lost her Bristol seat to the Green Party candidate.

While Wigan MP Lisa Nandy was swiftly appointed as the Secretary of State in July, it was not evident how DCMS ministerial responsibilities would be assigned until the end of the month. Stephanie Peacock was appointed as minister for sport yet lost the gambling brief – which she held in her shadow role – to Baroness Twycross, meaning that responsibility for gambling policy now sits in the House of Lords, with Peacock responsible for announcing and steering any future gambling regulations through the Commons.

There is also one less minister in DCMS than under the previous government. That will likely make it harder for all sports, including racing, to engage with a government that not only has an overflowing in-tray but that found itself in power sooner than anticipated.

And while it was pleasing to see the Prime Minister attend the St Leger with his wife Victoria – a known racing fan – support from a Labour government cannot be taken for granted. So, we will continue to make a compelling case for racing in the corridors of power.

The opportunity

With the government setting out a gloomy economic narrative it may be easy for racing to feel downbeat at the prospect of imminent Levy reform, or an alternative approach to affordability checks being a possibility.

However, BHA leaders have already had a productive meeting with Baroness Twycross. She is a minister who is bringing a pragmatic and collaborative approach to engaging with stakeholders in the racing and gambling industries. We have also engaged positively with officials in the department.

Another opportunity for racing lies in Parliament itself. The election brought about the largest change in the House of Commons for years, not only with the shift from Conservatives to Labour but with hundreds of new MPs of all parties embarking on their political careers.

This means many of Britain’s racecourses are now represented by new MPs, with Labour representing 23, the Conservatives 21, the Liberal Democrats 12, Reform one and the Scottish National Party one. The BHA, The Jockey Club, Arena Racing Company and the Racecourse Association, working with independent racecourses, have already met 30 MPs representing British racecourses since the general election. Several racecourse and stable visits have already been undertaken and there are more in the pipeline as our political engagement steps up yet another gear.

In addition, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Racing and Bloodstock has re-formed under the new leadership of co-chairs Dan Carden MP (Labour, representing Aintree) and Nick Timothy MP (Conservative, representing Newmarket) and has already attracted 29 members in its first month of operation. Included in this number are several Labour MPs and peers who are supportive of racing and enjoy a day at the races at their local courses – from David Baines MP (Haydock) to Sally Jameson MP (Doncaster).

The impact of a rejuvenated APPG became evident last week when Nick Timothy secured a Westminster Hall debate on government support for horseracing. Despite the Thursday afternoon scheduling – which is normally a quiet time in Parliament as MPs return to their constituencies – 15 MPs made time to attend the debate, which showed the importance of British racing in Parliament.

MPs, who were all sent a BHA briefing paper ahead of the debate, were unanimous in the need for Levy reform to be expedited and to include bets taken on overseas racing to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of British racing. There were also calls to address the impact financial risk checks are having on racing as the Gambling Commission undertakes its pilot which ends in Spring 2025.

Responding on behalf of the Government, Stephanie Peacock said Labour remains committed to supporting British racing and the BHA and the sport’s leaders will seek to make progress with the government on Levy reform and affordability checks in the coming months.

The support the BHA and racecourses have received so far from Labour MPs especially is highly encouraging, showing that the sport represents far more than what happens on the track, but is a crucial cultural sporting activity that supports thousands of jobs, knits communities together and appeals to people of all backgrounds across Britain.

Party conferences

Representatives of the BHA’s Corporate Affairs team attended all three major party conferences earlier this autumn, taking part in fringe events and meetings with MPs.

At all conferences, there were fringe events focused on gambling-related harm, with campaigning organisations such as Gambling with Lives and the Campaign for Fairer Gambling supporting events to make the case for stricter gambling controls.

Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross spoke at a fringe event chaired by the Social Market Foundation which discussed the economics of gambling harm. In her response the Minister acknowledged that most people gamble safely while there is more to do to prevent harm. She also said she does not believe that all types of gambling should belong in the same basket, acknowledging the difference in different types of gambling products. This was an encouraging intervention.

While animal welfare fringe events were well attended it was encouraging that racing was not referenced in any of them.  However, given animal welfare is an emotive issue that fills MPs’ inboxes, we will continue to demonstrate to the government and to MPs our collective commitment to continuously improving horse welfare.

Despite the Conservatives losing a significant number of MPs, the Opposition will remain key in holding the government to account over the next parliament. So, we will continue to engage with the party and the newly enlarged Liberal Democrat Parliamentary party as we build a broad caucus of support on both sides of the House.

At the Liberal Democrats’ conference, the messaging reflected the gains that the party had made in traditional rural, Tory heartlands at the election, with Tim Farron MP proclaiming that he wanted to be the party of the ‘dry stone wall’. That commitment to supporting rural industries like ours is certainly welcome.

What next?

This week all eyes will be on the Budget amid rumours about potential changes to taxes on the gambling industry. We will monitor the event closely and respond accordingly, having already issued a substantive statement when the topic first emerged earlier this month.

Of course, Levy reform remains at the top of our agenda and we will meet with the Betting and Gaming Council and DCMS ministers and officials in the coming weeks to make progress – supported by MPs and Peers who are working hard to advocate on our behalf.

We are also urgently raising the impact of affordability checks at the highest levels in government as betting turnover continues to fall.

Meetings in Parliament – and on racecourses – continue to take place with MPs who are making representations to ministers on the sport’s behalf.

The APPG will be hosting a reception in Parliament in January where Baroness Twycross will provide an update to Racing’s leaders and Parliamentarians on the direction of travel for Levy and gambling reform.

Select Committees have been re-formed and provide another vehicle for scrutinising government policy – the BHA will be meeting with Chairs and members in the coming months.

And we will finally find out later this week who won the Conservative leadership contest. A new shadow cabinet will be formed, and we will ensure relevant shadow ministers are well briefed on racing’s issues so that government can be held to account in all policy areas that impact our sport.

While the BHA and stakeholder groups lead on political activity on behalf of racing, we encourage all those connected to the sport – participants, bettors and fans – to communicate with their local MP to help put our sport on the political map. From inviting them to visit yards and studs to demonstrating how issues such as affordability checks are impacting fans’ ability to engage with racing.

It has been a turbulent political year for racing but we have already grasped the new political reality and are ready to capitalise on the opportunities presented by a refreshed government and parliament.