British horse racing is in need of “friends in corridors of power” following the appointment of Lord Allen of Kensington CBE as the new chair of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

Due to assume his position on 1 June 2025, the BHA stated that the new chair is one of “the most prominent business leaders of his generation”. 

Allen was Chairman of the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2000-2003, for which he was awarded a CBE, and oversaw London’s bid for the 2012 Olympics, serving as Board Director on the Organising Committee.

He is currently Advisory Chairman to global independent investment bank Moelis & Company, Chairman of multinational infrastructure group Balfour Beatty PLC, and Chairman of e-commerce retailer THG (formerly The Hut Group).

On his new role, Lord Allen said: “I am honoured to be appointed to the role of Chair of the BHA at this important time for the organisation.

“I look forward to building a strong relationship with the new CEO and the Board and all our stakeholders, delivering the vision of building the commercial and reputational aspects of the sector.”

Labour influence

Allen is also a Labour peer. He was a Chief Advisor to the Home Office from 2006 to 2008 before being appointed by Ed Miliband to the position of Chairman of the Management Board of the Labour Party in 2012.

Allen’s connection to Labour, according to the Racing Post’s Senior Writer Lee Mottershead, comes at a time when horse racing “is needing to persuade the [Labour] government on a number of fronts, including the importance of reopening talks about levy reform”.

Previously, Mottershead has expressed concerns that the change in government could stall talks on the subject and reset progress made with the previous Tory regime. 

Fellow Racing Post Journalist, Chris Cook, added: “The value of [Allen] to the wider sport is that he’s an immensely knowledgeable, well-connected, influential person. Hopefully, he does have that influence on the current government because we need friends in corridors of power.”

Stakeholders self-interest

Speaking on the Racing Post’s The Front Page show, the duo also warned that Allen will be “shocked” by the interplay of racing politics and “how riven we are with factions”.

“The majority of stakeholders still seem to think that the massive problems with British racing governance is vested interest,” explained Mottershead.

“The fact that stakeholders do not leave their hats outside the door sufficiently when discussing matters of key importance for the sport and they don’t take a long-term view, they take a more short-term view about what’s in their own best interest.

“For that to change you need a very strong chair who will in effect force vested interests or force stakeholders to think in the long term. We don’t know yet if Lord Allen will be that chair or if he’ll be a chair that will be more easily persuaded by stakeholders.”