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Boris Johnson simply received the most important diplomatic slap within the face since President Macron final gave him one. And it could be why he regrettably in contrast the battle in Ukraine with Brexit. It may even have critical ramifications for the highest horse races in Europe this summer time.
On March 16 our Prime Minister travelled to the United Arab Emirates the place he set out his deep issues concerning the chaos unleashed by Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Two days later President Assad of Syria arrived within the UAE and was welcomed by Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, the vice-president and prime minister.
It was by then public information that Assad had pledged to ship 16,000 troops to combat with Putin’s military within the Ukraine. Sheikh Mohammed’s staged photograph with Assad coming so quickly after Johnson’s go to appeared very very similar to a really deliberate two fingers as much as Britain.
There’s additionally the matter of the UAE serving to Russian oligarchs who’re allied to Putin to sidestep sanctions within the West by providing a secure haven for his or her ill-gotten wealth.
So what has prompted the UAE seemingly to show towards Britain? And what’s going to the implications be not just for Godolphin, Sheikh Mohammed’s racing operation in Britain, but in addition Manchester Metropolis, owned by Sheikh Mansour, the deputy prime minister of the UAE?
Sheikh Mohammed has been absent from British racecourses since his divorce was performed out within the Excessive Courtroom in London. The Sheikh’s technique in the course of the case was straight out of our personal monarch’s playbook. A dignified “by no means complain, by no means clarify.” Nevertheless it price him £550 million and an avalanche of hostile headlines, all of which can not have endeared Britain to him. He has subsequently denied allegations made towards him, not that anybody appears to be listening.
It appears trite within the nice scheme of world tensions to think about {that a} high-profile divorce can ultimately have added to the UAE’s antipathy in the direction of Britain. However inside the context that the UAE could also be feeling there’s a common lack of respect in the direction of them from our Authorities, maybe it isn’t?
It actually can’t be a foregone conclusion that Sheikh Mohammed shall be racing his Godolphin horses as per regular in Britain, and even Europe this yr. That might be a really unusual juxtaposition to facilitating Putin’s monetary supporters throughout this battle.
And why ought to Manchester Metropolis fortunately play away within the Premier League while not being positioned below the identical restrictions as Chelsea? How can Roman Abramovich be topic to sanctions while Sheikh Mansour, via his place within the UAE, aides and abets Putin and but faces no penalties?
Dysfunctional BHA is hindering essential Levy negotiations
Joe Saumarez Smith will shortly take over the function of chairman of the British Horseracing Authority from Anna Marie Phelps. And he’s inheriting an absolute automotive crash.
Phelps’ departing press launch was a rare work of phantasm, portray a ludicrously rosy image of the state of the BHA – though one insider informed me: “If you happen to assume that was dangerous, it is best to have seen the primary draft.”
There was no point out of an important difficulty going through the trade – a renegotiation of the Levy cope with the bookmakers. Phelps’s failure to steer Westminster that that is desperately wanted if jobs are to not observe the perfect horses overseas is presently costing the trade a conservative £70 million a yr.
This might have been sorted out three years in the past if racing had been higher represented. Nevertheless it was not, and there may be now a catastrophic collapse in investor confidence.
One of many causes the politicians are dragging their toes is the dearth of progress on checking out the dysfunctional governance of the BHA.
Phelps seems to think about it an achievement that the board will proceed to “retain the identical stage of impartial illustration as at current, according to governance finest apply.”
However who does she assume she is kidding? Definitely not the Authorities, which has made it clear that finest apply is for a regulatory board to be totally impartial.
The board she has perpetuated has the regulators regulating themselves, and so long as this continues, there shall be no assist from ministers who would in any other case be wholly supportive of racing’s arguments.
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