Former APPG chair Sir Philip Davies joins BHA board as Racecourse Association nominee

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has announced the interim appointment of Sir Philip Davies to its board as the Racecourse Association's Member Nominated Director. The change took effect on Tuesday, following the RCA's internal selection procedure.

Sir Philip replaces Wilf Walsh, who had been one of the RCA's two nominated directors on the BHA board since October 2021. Sir Philip joined the RCA board earlier this year. He was the Member of Parliament for Shipley from 2005 until 2024.

During his parliamentary career he held several roles linked to racing and betting, including joint chairing the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Betting and Gaming and serving as vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Racing and Bloodstock. During his time at the betting and gaming group, it launched an inquiry into the 2005 Gambling Act review and the subsequent 2023 white paper. He currently chairs the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and the National Horseracing College in Doncaster, and is a former board member of the Racehorse Owners Association.

BHA chair Simon Cox welcomed the appointment, saying that throughout his time in parliament Sir Philip was a strong advocate for racing and betting, helping ensure the sport's interests were understood by other politicians. Cox, who became the BHA's new non-executive chair at the start of October, also thanked Walsh for his significant contribution to the board over the past five years. Sir Philip said he was delighted to join the board to represent the interests of racecourses and would work with board members and stakeholders to support the sport's long-term success.

The appointment comes amid expectations that the October budget could include an increase in machine gaming duty, which many have warned could hit horseracing hard. Analysis by Regulus estimated that doubling the duty would cost the sport about £92 million a year, roughly one-third of its betting-derived income, and threaten investment in funding and research.

Greg Swift, the BHA's director of communications and corporate affairs, urged the government to consider the secondary impact of a tax rise on betting shops on racing. He also called for measures to put the sport, which supports 85,000 jobs, on a long-term and sustainable financial footing.