Nandy hauled to Commons over Kogan’s regulator appointment process
Lisa Nandy was hauled in front of the House of Commons on Wednesday to answer questions surrounding the process which led to the appointment of David Kogan as chair of the Independent Football Regulator.
The media rights expert was given the new-found role despite donating to both the DCMS secretary of state and the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer before last year’s election.
An independent investigation into the process of Kogan’s hiring found Nandy to have broken the Government Code on Public Appointments, and following an urgent question in Parliament by shadow sport secretary Louie French she was forced to take responsibility once more on a number of occasions.
She apologised in a letter to Starmer, which was accepted, and will not face further action over her breaches.
Asked whether Kogan was a “deeply flawed appointment” on Wednesday, Nandy described the new chair as an “outstanding” candidate for the role, and defended the selection, which she says saw the Conservatives shortlist the now-chair under the previous government.
Nandy responsibility
The secretary of state, who survived a government reshuffle earlier this year, rebuked calls for an investigation into the process, deeming the recent report by Sir William Shawcross – which laid bare her code breaches – satisfactory enough.
Liberal Democrat Anna Sabine said the process that led to Kogan’s “appointment undermined trust”, adding that, “[Nandy] cannot shy away the potential conflict of interest and breaches of the code which have emerged in recent days. This oversight requires genuine accountability from the government.”
At the time of Nandy’s initial apology, Kogan reiterated that his “suitability for the role has never been in question, and at no point was I aware of any deviation from best practice”.
Former DCMS secretary of state Oliver Dowden used a subsequent question to express fears that the regulator “has become excessively bureaucratic, it risks deterring international investment and more broad investment into the game that has been so beneficial to the sport”, asking whether, “it might be time to re-look at this regulator and instead put more emphasis on self governance from football.”
Nandy said fans were forced to wait until a Labour government to deliver on the promise of a football regulator. The Independent Football Regulator said: “We have a tight remit that focuses on bringing greater financial stability to the 116 regulated clubs, while promoting sound investment into the game.”
DCMS declined to comment beyond the secretary of state’s statement.