Labour ‘says working class do not care about canines’ claims new Green MP Hannah Spencer as she backs greyhound racing ban

Labour has been ‘offensively caricaturing’ the working class by suggesting they do not want to ban greyhound racing, Green Party MP Hannah Spencer. 

Politicians in England have faced mounting pressure to end greyhound racing as lawmakers outlawed the sport in Scotland and Wales.  

Greyhound racing has been traditionally linked with working-class culture, and is commonly popular in traditional Labour strongholds. 

And as such, party insiders have previously suggested the popularity of the sport in these areas has partly contributed to why there are no plans for a ban in England. 

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told parliament on Thursday that the gambling industry brings ‘joy to a lot of people’ and ‘positive benefits’ to the UK as a whole. 

However, the Gorton and Denton MP said: ‘Lisa Nandy just continuously offends people by saying that working-class people don’t care about dogs or each other. It is a caricature, and it is very offensive.

‘I get offended when I hear the argument made that it is working class. Working-class people are fed up with gambling companies being able to wreak havoc in people’s lives.’ 

The Green MP has continued to back a ban on the sport, which can cause injury and death to greyhounds, with many dogs who survived greyhound racing ending up in rescues after their days on the track come to an end. 

Labour has been ‘offensively caricaturing’ the working class by suggesting they do not want to ban greyhound racing, Green Party MP Hannah Spencer (pictured with Olive on March 2, 2026)

Politicians in England have faced mounting pressure to end greyhound racing as lawmakers outlawed the sport in Scotland and Wales (file image) 

And when they are placed with animal charities, they are often faced with the difficult challenge of finding new homes for dogs who are not used to life with a family indoors and are often anxious.  

Meanwhile, animal rights advocates argue that the sport is dangerous, with thousands suffering broken legs, head trauma and even fatal injuries on UK racetracks each year.

According to the latest data available from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), 123 greyhounds died trackside in the UK in 2024, an increase on the number for 2023. There were an additional 3,809 injuries to dogs on the tracks in 2024.

However, insiders close to Nandy have denied the suggestion that she believes working-class people do not care about dogs or other working-class people.

While insisting there were ‘absolutely no plans whatsoever’ to ban the sport, the Wigan MP said her party appreciate the joy that the sport ‘brings to many, many people’ in England as well as its economic contribution. 

But for Spencer, who was formerly a plumber before her historic win in Gorton and Denton, greyhound racing is why she became invested in politics. 

The 34-year-old had previously campaigned near to her local greyhound racing track, Belle Vue, where her beloved Olive had previously raced on the tracks. 

Recalling how Olive was ‘really broken’ when she first welcomed her into her home, Spencer explained she had also rehomed an 11-year-old greyhound named Judy who was kept in a kennel for breeding for nearly a decade. 

Meanwhile, her first greyhound Graham was petrified of everything, having spent a large portion of his life indoors.   

‘He never got over his anxiety despite my best efforts over many years. There were many things which terrified him.’ she told The Guardian. 

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy (pictured on April 14) told parliament on Thursday that the gambling industry brings ‘joy to a lot of people’ and ‘positive benefits’ to the UK as a whole.

Animal rights advocates argue that the sport is dangerous, with thousands suffering broken legs, head trauma and even fatal injuries on UK racetracks each year

Labour officials, including Sir Keir and three other cabinet ministers, received thousands of pounds in donations and corporate hospitality from gambling companies as well as senior industry figures in 2024, The Times reported.  

And in 2022, betting giants showered MPs with more than £100,000 worth of freebies in the six months ahead of a landmark gambling review at the time. 

Spencer said Labour’s position on greyhound racing ‘opened [her] eyes to how lobbied and biased’ the party are.  

She claimed they often accept ‘really expensive hospitality packages’ from gambling firms. 

She added: ‘Why would they go for a jolly and go and see a concert at Wembley paid for by the misery of gambling addicts?’

It comes after Green Party leader Zack Polanski was accused of ‘extreme madness’ by The Sun after a social media post emerged implying he wanted horse racing outlawed. 

However, the Gorton and Denton MP believes discussions about banning the sport should be had in light of two horse deaths at the Grand National this year. 

Mark Zarb-Cousin, a co-founder of Gambian, a gambling blocking software, said: ”This government seems to believe the gambling lobby speaks for the working class while their sector exploits and extracts from it. 

‘To make the assumption ordinary working people somehow don’t care about the welfare of dogs is a form of class prejudice, and Lisa Nandy should know better than to be reinforcing this. Greyhound racing is intolerable to the majority of people in this country, including those in her Wigan constituency.’ 

Mark Moisley, the commercial director of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, said: ‘Greyhound racing is enshrined in British culture and contributes £164m a year to the economy, employs 5,400 people, and remains one of the top 10 spectator sports in the UK – and our priority is to ensure this continues, with the welfare of greyhounds at the heart of this.’