Key points:
- Lord Lipsey served as Chair of the British Greyhound Racing Board and Premier Greyhound Racing
- Lifelong Labour peer, political adviser and award-winning journalist
- Widely respected for championing animal welfare and modernising greyhound racing
Lord David Lipsey, a prominent figure in British politics and greyhound racing, has died at the age of 77. His death was confirmed on Tuesday, with tributes emerging across both the political and racing communities.
Appointed as a life peer in 1999, Lord Lipsey sat on the Labour benches in the House of Lords and was recognised for his broad contributions to public life, journalism and sport.
He served as a political adviser to Anthony Crosland and No 10 Downing Street and was an acclaimed journalist, receiving the Special Orwell Prize in 1997 for his work at The Economist.
He was also a lifelong supporter of greyhound and harness racing, serving as Chair of the British Greyhound Racing Board (2004–2009) and returning to the sport as Chair of Premier Greyhound Racing in 2022 – a joint venture by Entain and Arena Racing Company to revitalise the sport through media rights, investment in welfare and race coverage.
Good to know: Under Lipsey’s leadership, Premier Greyhound Racing pledged £2.5m ($3.4m) towards prize money and greyhound welfare research, with the aim of improving integrity and standards across 14 UK tracks
In a 2023 interview with Gambling Insider, Lord Lipsey described greyhound racing as “a product that’s constantly available”.
Lipsey added: added: “We’re going to have circa 50 meetings a week... and have a great time doing it.”
He was also vocal about welfare improvements, saying: “Premier Greyhound Racing’s primary objective is to improve welfare, making it nice for the dogs, ensuring they are enjoying themselves.”
Lipsey remained optimistic about the sport’s future, comparing its potential resurgence to the revival of darts.
Lipsey stated: “I see absolutely no reason why we can’t do the same with greyhound racing... It can really follow in the footsteps of darts.”
Tributes from across the industry have highlighted his enduring impact. The Betting and Gaming Council described him as “a valued voice in debates” and “a passionate advocate for racing.”
Michael Dugher, former BGC CEO, wrote: “He told me great stories of being a special adviser in the 70s. Sorry to see you go, Comrade. See you at the great big greyhound track in the sky.”
