British Turf Community Takes to Westminster Streets in Protest Against Tax Hike

Oisin Murphy, Hollie Doyle, Tom Marquand—and Even a White Horse—Headline Unprecedented Protest Outside Parliament

Jockeys Pose Against Big Ben in Historic Strike / TT

LONDRES, Inglaterra (Special for Turf Diario).- An unprecedented event shook London on Wednesday: for the first time, British racing suspended all its meetings to bring the action to Parliament Square in the heart of Westminster, where jockeys, trainers, owners, and industry officials united to protest the Treasury’s plans to raise online betting taxes.

The threat is tangible. The proposal to align the general betting duty (currently 15% on horse racing wagers) with the remote gaming duty (21% on online gambling) could, according to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), cost the industry £66 million in the first year alone.

The scene was striking. Oisin Murphy, the future champion jockey, shared the spotlight with retired steeplechase hero Richard Johnson and the top-tier duo Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle. All eight jockeys present posed in front of Big Ben, wearing white silks emblazoned with slogans reading “Axe the Racing Tax” and “Back British Racing.” Adding to the spectacle, a white statue horse was paraded around the square on a truck, drawing the attention of tourists and onlookers alike.

The protest atmosphere blended with Westminster’s usual chaos: blaring anti-Brexit music, motorcyclists campaigning for army veterans, and amid the symphony of voices, racing sought to make itself heard with a tone that was firm yet civil.

Organized in just a few weeks, the demonstration attracted key figures. Hugo Palmer expressed cautious optimism: “The fact that the Treasury issued a statement shows they at least paid attention. Whether they’ll actually listen remains to be seen. But you have to be here—silence won’t help.” Dan Skelton, who walked from Marylebone, was more graphic: “If you want the government to think twice, you have to make some noise. That’s what we’re doing today.”

Stories from the day were numerous. Palmer walked 40 minutes from Euston in a downpour. Ralph Beckett took a bus from Waterloo, emphasizing his down-to-earth side. All of this occurred amid a tube strike, complicating travel across the capital.

The highlight came with John Gosden’s speech, which appealed to memory: “When I arrived in Newmarket in the ’70s, it was a bleak time—endless strikes, empty stables, crippling national debt, a three-day workweek, and a winter of discontent. Sounds familiar. Today we suffer poor prize money and a worrying drop in foal production. And now, they want to cut our betting revenues. We need stability to grow; without it, the future is dark.”

The protest raised more questions than answers. Did racing succeed in capturing the attention of a government beset by multiple crises? No one knows. What is certain is that, for one day, the industry stood together as few times before, determined to defend what it considers vital to survival.

“It’s only a fool who never changes his mind,” Palmer quipped, hinting at the possibility of a ministerial U-turn. For now, the message was clear: British racing will not back down, and as Skelton warned, when the hive is threatened, all the bees come out to defend it.