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I'm building a 6' by 4' wargames board. It's built and textured and now I need to paint it.

I don't want to spend a ton by doing it with miniature paint so I thought about using emulsion since you can get paint matching at my local store and a 250ml test can for about 3 pounds. This way I can match the bases of my models to the board.

I just wondered if anyone else has any other suggestions or knows why this is a bad/good idea?

It's a great idea for all the reasons you stated: cheaper than hobby paints, you can match the color to your bases, and it is very durable. We discussed some of this within the past couple days here: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/485500.page#4930168. There's some good points made by several people in that thread, so it's worth a quick read. BTW, I think latex and emulsion are interchangeable terms. Latex paint is what we call it in the States

I know you can get latex emulsion but pretty sure most of it is water based to let the wall plaster breath when painted. It's certainly the case in the paint matching service I'm talking about.

It's the same stuff.

Yeh I just googled it. Apparently it's called latex paint in the US even though it doesn't have latex in it. Odd, but fair enough.

Anyone have any advice on what sealer to use for the job?

I also highly recommend using Emulsion/Latex paint. The thread linked above by the_armyman has alot of good information.

If you've used foam in the construction of the board then you need a Water based sealer which can probably be had in brush on or spray cans.

If no foam is involved, just do what I did and get a couple of cans of cheap matte spray (usually not water based) and put a couple of spray coats on the table.
http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2012/10/making-urban-wargaming-table.html

I have foam sealed in underneath a layer of plaster and sand but I will avoid aerosols to be sure.

A brush on, water based, matte varnish would be perfect. Most ebay results are for flooring/wood or more expensive stuff in small quantities specifically labelled for arts and crafts use. If I can get away with using the cheaper stuff I will as it is a significant difference.

I don't know what the stores in the UK stock, but your hardware/DIY store should have water based matte varnish, probably in both brush-on and spray can versions.

The stuff for flooring/wood is probably prefect for what you need if it's water based and truely matte (satin won't be flat enough), though you may want to thin it a bit.