Overview

• Lord Lipsey retired from chairing Premier Greyhound Racing in March due to ill health; he died while swimming on July 1 at age 77, prompting tributes from political and racing figures.
• He built his reputation as a behind-the-scenes adviser in the 1970s, influencing economic and social policy for the Labour Party under Tony Crosland and Prime Minister James Callaghan without ever holding elected office.
• In the 1980s and ’90s he shaped public discourse as economics editor of The Times and as political editor at The Economist, where his “Bagehot” columns became widely respected.
• Made a life peer in 1999 as Lord Lipsey of Tooting Bec, he served on royal commissions and inquiries into electoral reform, elderly care funding and the BBC licence fee.
• Over more than two decades at the helm of the Greyhound Racing Board and its successors, he championed animal welfare and worked to secure sustainable funding for the sport.