Racing fearful Burnham and new government may have gambling in sights

A ban on bookies sponsorship in sport that did not exempt horse racing would be potentially ruinous for the industry

Seven prime ministers in the space of 10 years is a churn rate that even the British Horseracing Authority – which has had five full-time leaders in the same period, or six if you count the two-time “interim” chair, David Jones – cannot match. And as the search for Lord Charles Allen’s successor continues after his embarrassingly brief stint concluded in March, Jones will remain the sport’s figurehead in the crucial early weeks of Andy Burnham’s administration.

But what, if anything, might a new PM mean for Britain’s second-biggest spectator sport?