Hannah Spencer, the Green Party MP, accused Labour of 'offensively caricaturing' the working class by implying they oppose a ban on greyhound racing, according to multiple reports. Greyhound racing has been outlawed in Scotland and Wales but remains legal in England, and is traditionally linked with working-class culture, popular in Labour strongholds. Labour insiders have suggested that the sport's popularity in working-class areas contributed to the lack of plans for a ban in England.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told parliament that the gambling industry brings 'joy to a lot of people' and 'positive benefits' to the UK. She insisted there are 'absolutely no plans whatsoever' to ban greyhound racing in England. According to Daily Mail - News, Hannah Spencer described Lisa Nandy as 'continuously offends people' by suggesting working-class people don't care about dogs or each other.
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.
Animal welfare concerns have been raised over greyhound racing. Hannah Spencer supports a ban, citing injury and death to dogs. Many greyhounds who survive racing end up in rescues and struggle to adapt to home life. Animal rights advocates argue that thousands of dogs suffer broken legs, head trauma, and fatal injuries each year. According to the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), 123 greyhounds died trackside in the UK in 2024, an increase from 2023, and there were 3,809 injuries to dogs on UK tracks in 2024.
Hannah Spencer became politically active due to greyhound racing, having campaigned near Belle Vue track. She rehomed a greyhound named Olive who raced at Belle Vue and was 'really broken', according to multiple reports. She also rehomed an 11-year-old greyhound named Judy who was kept in a kennel for breeding for nearly a decade. Her first greyhound, Graham, was petrified of everything after spending much of his life indoors.
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.
Spencer also criticised the culture of alcohol consumption in Parliament. According to Daily Mail - News, she described smelling alcohol on other politicians as they go into vote, and hit out at the 'unprofessional' culture. A pint of Carlsberg costs £5.45 in Strangers' Bar, compared to around £7 in nearby pubs, while alcohol-free beers are available and cheaper. £305,000 was spent in Strangers' Bar in 2023-24, but it made a £56,000 loss. The overall catering operation in the Commons was propped up with £7.4 million from the public purse in 2024-25. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, acknowledged 'behaviour problems' linked to drinking in Parliament, but said it is a matter for the House to decide on alcohol policy.
I'm really uneasy about - and I noticed this the other day - when you can smell the alcohol when people are in between votes... as everyone's going in to vote, some people have been drinking.
There's a room where I walked past and I doubled back and looked in because people are just sat having a drink.
But again that's a job. I can't imagine if a cleaner did that or someone working in a bank - like, had a few drinks and then went back to work smelling of alcohol - that wouldn't happen.
I think there's been so many cases recently of like questionable and dangerous behaviour allegedly from MPs, but staff because this culture of a really unprofessional and worrying setting where people can just drink alcohol... while they are in work.
That is what I find very out of touch about that place... the vast majority of us that have come from like backgrounds of normal jobs - that's not how the world works, so why does it work in somewhere where arguably the most important decisions get made?
That's clearly a matter for the House to decide for itself.
What I will say is it is one of the things that clearly many MPs are thinking about for themselves.
I think the behaviour, I think the attitude to alcohol in the workplace has changed throughout all workplaces.
It is something that MPs are looking at for themselves. Some different people have different views.