The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has published a blog piece discussing politics in horseracing.
The blog starts by explaining that: “While many people in racing will be unaware of the constant drumbeat of activity between us and politicians and Government officials, it is on behalf of the whole sport that this vital engagement takes place.”
The post continues to name both Stuart Andrew and Lord Douglas-Miller as two contacts that the BHA has close ties with “whom we work [with] on a daily basis.”
The BHA does address the fact that these are both members of the Conservative Party, and so also mentions that the Authority will engage with the Labour party and those in Shadow Ministerial roles going forward.
Ahead of the Affordability Debate, which will be held on 26 February, the BHA hosted a Parliamentary drinks reception which was attended by 27 MPs, 11 Government and Shadow Ministers and 30 guests from the gambling industry.
This was organised alongside the Arena Racing Company, the Jockey Club and the Racecourse Association.
The blog post also explains that: “Looking further ahead to the Autumn – which seems to be the bookies’ favourite at the moment for an election – the BHA is mapping prospective parliamentary candidates (PPCs) across key racing constituencies across Britain.
“Importantly, these include a significant number of Labour PPCs who look likely to win seats from the Conservatives.”
As part of this, the BHA also stated that it will continue to invite MPs to racing events, as this would be a good opportunity to meet different individuals.
At the end of last year, former BHA CEO Nick Rust was appointed as the first Chair of the Gambling Commission's Industry Forum.
