Conservative response to incoming Football Regulator Chair David Kogan revealing he has donated to the leadership campaigns of both Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy

Louie French MP, Shadow Minister for Sport, said:

“This appears to be a clear breach of the Governance Code on Public Appointments and must urgently be investigated.

“The decision to install David Kogan — a major Labour Party donor and former director of Labour List — as Chair of the Independent Football Regulator, without disclosing his extensive personal political donations to Keir Starmer is a serious breach of public trust.

“Fans were promised an impartial and independent regulator, but instead they are being handed a political appointee whose impartiality is already in question. For this reason, under new leadership, the Conservatives cannot back Labour's Football Governance Bill.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

• The Governance Code on Public Appointments states that ‘it should be publicly disclosed' if a candidate ‘has made significant donations or loans to a party'. The Governance Code on Public Appointments states: ‘9.2 Political activity should not affect any judgement of merit nor be a bar to appointment or being a member of an Advisory Assessment Panel, with the exception of Senior Independent Panel Members. It should be publicly disclosed however if a panel member, or a successful candidate, has, in the last five years, been employed by a political party, held a significant office in a party, has stood as a candidate for a party in an election, has publicly spoken on behalf of a political party, or has made significant donations or loans to a party' (Cabinet Office, Governance Code on Public Appointments, 9 February 2024, link).

• The Government's press release announcing David Kogan's proposed appointment made no reference to any political activity. On 25 April 2025, DCMS announced their preferred candidate for Chair of the new Independent Football Regulator, David Kogan. The DCMS press release makes no reference to any political activity (DCMS, Press Release, 25 April 2025, link).

• On 5 May, the Conservatives filed a formal complaint to the Public Appointments Commissioner on this and related matters. This is attached.

• On 7 May, David Kogan revealed that he had donated to the leadership campaigns of Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy. KOGAN: ‘Five years ago, I contributed very small sums of money to both the leadership campaigns of both Sir Keir Starmer and of Lisa Nandy' (Jack Elsom, Twitter, 7 May 2025, link).