The British Horseracing Board today welcomed the support of 94 Members of Parliament who have registered their concern at the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report on British Racing.

The 94 MPs, drawn from all sides of the House of Commons, have signed Early Day Motion (EDM) 1698, which “calls on the Government to support British racing in its continuing commitment to modernise and provide a world class sporting product for consumers to enjoy without unnecessary and damaging intervention from the Office of Fair Trading.”

The EDM also highlights the support within Parliament for the view that “the Office of Fair Trading’s intervention would lead to course closures, job losses, the decimation of National Hunt racing, the loss of overseas and domestic investment and a steep decline in the quality of British racing”.

The signatories include 44 Labour, 34 Conservative and 10 Liberal Democrat MPs, plus representatives of the SNP, Plaid Cymru and other parties.

The EDM has attracted more signatories than over 90% of all other EDMs in the 2002/03 Parliamentary session.

BHB Chief Executive Greg Nichols commented:

“We are encouraged that so many MPs are speaking up for British Racing and the sport is grateful to them for their support. The 94 signatories to date reflect the diversity of horseracing and those who follow it – MPs from all sides of the House representing a range of urban and rural constituencies from across the UK have signed the EDM.

“Implementation of the OFT proposals announced in April would damage racing beyond recognition and tip the sport into decline. Racing has produced a strong rejection of the OFT’s findings and MPs in increasing numbers are now demonstrating their own concerns.”

For further information, please contact BHB Communications Manager Alan Delmonte on 07931 701536

Notes to Editors:

EDM 1698 (“British Racing and the Office of Fair Trading”) was tabled on 16th September 2003. The full text is as follows:

That this House recognises that British racing is enjoyed by millions of people and that racing and betting together provide 100,000 jobs in the UK; notes that racecourse attendances are the highest since the 1950s, that there are more fixtures, races and runners than 10 years ago and that horserace betting turnover and prize money are at record levels; is alarmed that the Office of Fair Trading’s recent report on horseracing seeks to dismantle the structure of governance that has been the foundation of the sport’s growth and ensured the highest international standards of integrity; believes that the Office of Fair Trading’s intervention would lead to course closures, job losses, the decimation of National Hunt racing, the loss of overseas and domestic investment and a steep decline in the quality of British racing; and calls on the Government to support British racing in its continuing commitment to modernise and provide a world class sporting product for consumers to enjoy without unnecessary and damaging intervention from the Office of Fair Trading.

The 94 signatories to date to EDM 1698 are listed below.

Peter Ainsworth (Con)
David Amess (Con)
David Atkinson (Con)
Peter Atkinson (Con)
Norman Baker (Lib Dem)
John Barrett (Lib Dem)
Roy Beggs (Ulster Unionist)
Bob Blizzard (Lab)
Tim Boswell (Con)
Peter Bottomley (Con)
Rt Hon Virginia Bottomley (Con)
David Burnside (Independent Unionist)
Ronnie Campbell (Lab)
Martin Caton (Lab)
Sir Sydney Chapman (Con)
David Chidgey (Lib Dem)
Harry Cohen (Lab)
Tony Colman (Lab)
Frank Cook (Lab)
Janet Dean (Lab)
Jonathan Djanogly (Con)
Jim Dobbin (Lab/Co-op)
Brian H Donohoe (Lab)
Gwyneth Dunwoody (Lab)
Huw Edwards (Lab)
Jeff Ennis (Lab)
Annabelle Ewing (SNP)
Mark Field (Con)
Adrian Flook (Con)
Barbara Follett (Lab)
Edward Garnier (Con)
Neil Gerrard (Lab)
Roger Godsiff (Lab)
James Gray (Con)
Chris Grayling (Con)
Matthew Green (Lib Dem)
John Greenway (Con)
Win Griffiths (Lab)
John Grogan (Lab)
Mike Hancock (Lib Dem)
Nick Hawkins (Con)
Doug Henderson (Lab)
Stephen Hepburn (Lab)
Kate Hoey (Lab)
Lindsay Hoyle (Lab)
Andrew Hunter (Independent Con)
Eric Illsley (Lab)
Brian Jenkins (Lab)
Nigel Jones (Lib Dem)
Paul Keetch (Lib Dem)
Robert Key (Con)
Andy King (Lab)
Sir Archy Kirkwood (Lib Dem)
Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru)
Alice Mahon (Lab)
Rob Marris (Lab)
Michael Mates (Con)
Anne McIntosh (Con)
John McWilliam (Lab)
Alan Meale (Lab)
Austin Mitchell (Lab)
Malcolm Moss (Con)
William O’Brien (Lab)
Bill Olner (Lab)
Richard Page (Con)
James Paice (Con)
Anne Picking (Lab)
David Rendel (Lib Dem)
Laurence Robertson (Con)
Marion Roe (Con)
Andrew Rosindell (Con)
Christine Russell (Lab)
Alan Simpson (Lab)
Marsha Singh (Lab)
Hon Nicholas Soames (Con)
Bob Spink (Con)
Richard Spring (Con)
Paul Stinchcombe (Lab)
Rt Hon Dr Gavin Strang (Lab)
Graham Stringer (Lab)
Hugo Swire (Con)
Sir Teddy Taylor (Con)
Dennis Turner (Lab/Co-op)
Desmond Turner (Lab)
Neil Turner (Lab)
Rudi Vis (Lab)
Robert Walter (Con)
Dave Watts (Lab)
John Wilkinson (Con)
Ann Winterton (Con)
Sir Nicholas Winterton (Con)
Pete Wishart (SNP)
Tony Wright (Lab)
Richard Younger-Ross (Lib Dem)