MP Took £10k Donation From Racehorse Owner Prior to Parliamentary Debate

_{Parliamentary debate on horse racing regulations. (Image: John Kellerman / Alamy)}

A British MP took a £10,000 campaign donation from a racehorse owner before he spoke up in favour of the horse racing industry and warned against tighter gambling regulations. 

At a parliamentary debate on October 24 last year Jack Rankin MP suggested the tighter regulations would harm the sport of horse racing. The MP also received nearly £1,000 in free gifts and hospitality from Ascot and Royal Windsor racecourses.

Ascot Racecourse said his visit was ‘an opportunity for us to engage with him and explain the impact that the racecourse has on the local economy’.

MP Defends Support for Horse Racing Industry

During the debate Jack Rankin MP said that the ‘economic importance’ of Royal Ascot week ‘cannot be understated’.

The gambling industry including land based casinos and betting have been scrutinised and made a target of by regulators aiming to protect consumers but also protect the economic contribution the industry makes to the UK. 

The MP said: “I proudly and unashamedly continue to stand up for the fantastic Ascot and Royal Windsor racecourses in my constituency, that is me doing my job, regardless of any attempt to skew my clear motives for doing so.”

MP Claims to Have Never Met Multimillionaire Racehorse Owners

While Rankin maintains he has never met Fitriani Hay and defends his actions as part of his job representing his constituency's racecourses, the timing of his statements and the financial support he received have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest.

Other Conservative MPs, Lewis Cocking, Rebecca Paul and Gregory Stafford, also received donations from Hay.

Donors on the Sunday Times Rich List

James "Jim" Hay is a Dubai-based Scottish businessman. He is the chairman of Dubai-based JMH Group, a private family business operating in the construction and luxury goods markets.

Hay and his wife Fitriani are racehorse owners and trainers, and significant donors to the Conservative Party. According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, he is worth £325 million.

The MP quantified his reasons for showing support for the racecourse and the horse racing industry by saying: “As an active, local and vocal member of parliament, it is my job to engage with, visit and represent our fantastic racecourses in parliament. I will never be shy of doing my job, which is what my constituents expect.”