Oisín Murphy stands together with fellow jockeys in Parliament Square, as racing goes on strike

Jockeys Kieran Shoemark, Oisin Murphy, Saffie Osborne, Lily Pinchin, Richard Johnson, Hollie Doyle, Tom Marquand and Paul O'Brien (left-right) participate in an Axe The Racing Tax protest. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy was among the riders who swapped the racecourse for Parliament Square on Wednesday, as racing descended on Westminster to demonstrate its opposition to proposed betting tax changes.

Fixtures scheduled for Carlisle, Uttoxeter, Lingfield and Kempton were cancelled in an unprecedented move aimed at highlighting the impact on racing's finances that a rise from the current 15 per cent duty on racing to the 21 per cent levied on games of chance could have.