Sporting Events Bill [Lords]

(Limited Text - Ministerial Extracts only)

Report stage & 3rd reading
Wednesday 4th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Chris Vince]

Well, as a sort of adopted Yorkshireman, I look forward to celebrating it with you.

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate. As you know, Mr Speaker, I am a keen football supporter, and although the fortunes of both Harlow Town and Leeds United have been somewhat inconsistent in recent years—I know that the hon. Member for Bridlington and The Wolds (Charlie Dewhirst), who is sitting opposite me, is looking forward to a positive Farke-led revolution—I feel an immense sense of pride when the country hosts sporting events. I think not only of the 2012 Olympics; I am old enough to remember Euro ’96, when football came home, but perhaps not in all the ways we hoped it would.

I also pay tribute to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Wigan (Lisa Nandy), for her commitment and dedication to sport in this country. Whether it is grassroots football teams such as the league-winning Roydon FC or our Ballon d’Or winning England captain Harry Kane—

[The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)]

Or Wigan Warriors!

[Mr Speaker]

Order!

[Chris Vince]

I know that sport, and indeed the fantastic rugby league players who I know, Mr Speaker, you regularly cheer on—

[Lisa Nandy]

That is not rugby league!

[Chris Vince]

Sadly, we do not have any rugby league in Harlow—

[Lisa Nandy]

They do not have it in Chorley either!

[Mr Speaker]

Order!

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[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

Today’s debate has broadly shown cross-party recognition of the importance of major sporting events and their ability to showcase the very best of our country. The UK is a world leader when it comes to hosting major sporting events; this Bill will make sure that we continue to attract the world’s biggest sporting moments, and to welcome the social and economic benefits they bring.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

Madam Deputy Speaker, I apologise for not being here at the very beginning of the debate, as I know I am meant to be. Running any sporting event, be it the Commonwealth games or a football tournament, is almost impossible for one city to do on its own because of the financial cost, but it may be possible for a number of UK cities to hold it together. Will the Government commit to ensuring that, if we hold a showpiece football tournament or the Commonwealth games, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England can all be part of it?

[Stephanie Peacock]

The hon. Gentleman makes an incredibly important point. Indeed, we are working together on Euro 2028, which is the first tournament to which this Bill will apply.

This is a framework Bill that covers ticketing, transport, advertising, trading and unauthorised association. Proportionality is now embedded in these powers—I gave that commitment on Second Reading—so that everyone, particularly small and micro-sized businesses, can benefit when the world comes to visit us. After valuable discussions in this House and the other place, we are pleased that the Bill will also extend to our world-class recurrent events, so that those internationally acclaimed events can apply for and benefit from the powers in this Bill.

I am grateful for the contributions from across the House.

[Dame Caroline Dinenage]

I am grateful to the Minister for appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee during our inquiry on major events earlier in the year. We asked her what more she could do to demonstrate that the Government were gripping this issue, so the extension of the Bill to more events other than one-offs is really good. As I mentioned, however, we risk creating a two-tier ticketing system, because these rules relate to sporting events, but music and other cultural events are left waiting for a solution—a solution that was promised in the manifesto, but has not yet come. Can she give any update on when we might expect the ticket touting Bill that will set out the restrictions on who can operate in the secondary market, and how that can be more legislatively fair?

[Stephanie Peacock]

I am grateful to the Select Committee, and indeed the hon. Member, for their work. I really appreciated their work on major events, and I listened to most of the evidence that her Committee took. We are absolutely committed to getting that Bill on the statute book, and I will come on to that in a moment.

I am grateful to the former Minister for Sport, the hon. Member for Droitwich and Evesham (Nigel Huddleston), for all his work, and for his speech. I believe he asked why transport is not included for recurrent events. We have had a conversation about this with stakeholders, and we are confident that recurrent events already have robust transport provisions in place. This issue was raised in detail in Committee, and I have written to the relevant Transport Minister about those concerns.

I am grateful to the hon. Member for Southend East and Rochford (Mr Alaba) and my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Chris Vince) for their support. Their speeches highlighted that major events contribute to communities across our country. The hon. Member for Eastleigh (Liz Jarvis) asked about small businesses. We draw the zone much more tightly for events such as Euro 2028 than for recurrent events, but I am happy to speak to the hon. Member about this.

Sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker, but I am going to have to take a moment—

[Chris Vince]

Does the Minister agree with me that it is hugely important to celebrate all levels of sport, from grassroots football clubs such as Roydon FC to the mighty Harlow Town and, of course, Leeds United?

[Stephanie Peacock]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who makes a really important point, and I am grateful to the House for its understanding.

The amendments tabled by the hon. Member for Frome and East Somerset (Anna Sabine) deal with ticketing. As I said to the Chair of the Select Committee, we are committed to tackling industrial-scale touting, but this Bill is not the place to do so. Our upcoming ticket tout ban Bill will do that.

[Jim Shannon]

We are very appreciative of all the work the Minister does in the Department, and we very much respect her enthusiasm and energy. We understand that she will be bringing forward legislative change that we wish to see, and we welcome that.

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[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I believe the Minister is just about to conclude—final word.

[Stephanie Peacock]

Yes, Madam Deputy Speaker, and I think the hon. Gentleman makes a really important point.

We have had a very good debate on this issue, particularly in Committee, and I am grateful for the support of the whole House. We are a world leader in major events, and I commend the Bill to the House.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

The Minister has done a fantastic job.

Question put, That the clause be read a Second time.

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13:35

Division 115

Question accordingly negatived.

Ayes: 62

Noes: 286

Clause 1

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13:48

Division 116

Question accordingly negatived.

Ayes: 91

Noes: 298

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14:01

Division 117

Question accordingly negatived.

Ayes: 93

Noes: 287

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Voting in today’s deferred Divisions will now reopen in the No Lobby and continue for 25 minutes.

Third Reading

King’s and Prince of Wales’s consent signified.

[Lisa Nandy]

The UK has a proud record of hosting the world’s greatest sporting events, including in Glasgow and Birmingham this summer, and who can forget the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games in London, delivered by the late and great Tessa Jowell, who is still much missed by all of us in the House? I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Droitwich and Evesham (Nigel Huddleston), who oversaw an extraordinarily successful Commonwealth games in Birmingham that really showed what this country is capable of.

In a world where too many things divide us, sport has the remarkable capacity to unite—to bring communities together and show the best of our country to the world. Perhaps its greatest power is what it can do for the next generation. I was privileged to be at the Red Roses’ historic win at the 2025 women’s rugby world cup and to see Twickenham packed to the rafters cheering them on. What made me prouder still was seeing what followed—thousands of girls taking their first steps into rugby, signing up to their local clubs and discovering what they were capable of. This is what we should always strive for.

We have some extraordinary opportunities ahead of us. When the two Tour de France grand départs come to Great Britain next summer, they will create the most accessible major sporting event our country has ever hosted. Millions of people will have the chance to get up close to some of the greatest competitors in the world, and hopefully it will inspire a new generation into cycling.

The UEFA European championship in 2028 will give us a summer of extraordinary football. We are determined that its legacy will be about much more than what happens in the stadiums across the whole of the United Kingdom. That must, of course, include great benefits for Northern Ireland.

[Charlie Dewhirst (Bridlington and The Wolds) (Con)]

It is a slightly technical point, but with mega-events such as those the Secretary of State is talking about, unauthorised car parking can cause major problems to the event organisers—I have been one myself—requiring traffic management systems and other measures. Do you agree that it might be appropriate to have exclusion zones around stadiums and other sporting venues? Far be it from me to deter such entrepreneurial spirit, but do you also agree that any landowner who wishes to operate an unauthorised car park should work together with the event organiser so that they can better organise those traffic management plans?

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. Before the Secretary of State responds, I remind Back Benchers that it is not appropriate to say “you” and “yours” in the Chamber.

[Lisa Nandy]

I very much took the concern as being directed as me, Madam Deputy Speaker. The hon. Gentleman is right to raise it, because it can be a significant problem. Transport provisions are already in scope of the Bill, but we would be happy to work with him and others who share our concerns about making sure that events are successful if there are particular issues that arise subsequently.

The UEFA European championship in 2028 is going to be an incredible moment for our country. It is projected to deliver a sixfold return on public investment, and we are going to use this opportunity to get more people playing football, strengthen our grassroots clubs and open up opportunities right across the country. Members will also know that we have bid for the FIFA 2035 women’s world cup and the 2029 world para athletics championships. This Government are also committed to seeing the Ryder and Solheim cups hosted here.

As my right hon. Friend the Chancellor announced last week, we have committed £7 million to a detailed feasibility study for a potential bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic games in the north of England in the 2040s. This is personal for me: I grew up in the north of England, in Manchester, and I watched as we unsuccessfully bid for the Olympic games many years ago. Many people across the country told us that it could not be done—Manchester could not host major sporting events. Then, only a few years later, we went on to host a really successful Commonwealth games and show the world how it was done. Every part of this country deserves the chance to contribute to our incredibly rich legacy of major sporting events. We believe that the north of England has so much to offer, and we are determined to make sure that the rest of the world gets the chance to see that.

Underpinning all this is a belief that the benefits of hosting major events should not be confined to the host city or to those fortunate enough to secure a ticket. The benefits should be felt in towns and cities and in our schools, sports clubs and communities across all four nations of the UK. The events should inspire a generation of young people to go on and live the richer, larger lives that they deserve.

The Bill allows us to stand ready to host the biggest events in the world, to protect the integrity of those events to ensure that people can enjoy them, and to make certain that the benefits reach as far as possible. I am grateful to Members across the House who have engaged so constructively and thoughtfully with us during the passage of the Bill to improve it. I thank those who have supported our provisions, which we believe will improve the way that we host major sporting events.

I would like to thank in particular our Whip, my hon. Friend the Member for Luton South and South Bedfordshire (Rachel Hopkins), for her sterling work on this Bill. Our Whips are often unsung heroes in this place. Without them, the major benefits that we deliver to the people of this country would simply not happen.

In particular, the improvements that hon. Members have helped us to make have broadened the framework’s scope so that some of our world-class recurrent events can also benefit from its provisions. We have heard loud and clear the importance of getting the balance right to provide effective protections for major sporting events, while ensuring that the framework operates fairly and proportionately for businesses and communities. I am pleased that the safeguards are now strengthened in the Bill.

I want to address a few of the concerns that we have heard today head-on, in particular the questions about biological sex and the need to protect sporting events. I say to the hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) that I have heard her points, and I know that she feels passionately about this issue, but I want to be clear, for the avoidance of any doubt, that participation in all events within the scope of the Bill is already based on biological sex. I do not want Members to misunderstand what we are doing through this Bill.

There were concerns raised by a few hon. Members about the prospect of sporting events being derailed by strike action. I have to say, and I hope Members will take this in the right spirit, that I could not disagree more with their proposals. It is notable that no Member could point to a single instance when a major sporting event has been derailed by strike action. When I was serving as parliamentary private secretary to Tessa Jowell, many Conservative Members raised concerns that the 2012 Olympics would be derailed by strike action. In the event, the only major disruption was when a private company, G4S, failed to deliver on its contract and the Army had to be drafted in to support. I gently say to those on the Opposition Benches that if they want to avoid strike action, the best way is to treat the workforce of this country as partners in our national endeavour and to treat them properly.

I recognise the concerns about ticketing raised by the hon. Member for Frome and East Somerset (Anna Sabine) and echoed by the Chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, the hon. Member for Gosport (Dame Caroline Dinenage). I recognise the intention behind the Liberal Democrat amendment, but I want to be clear: the Government rejected the amendment not because we are anything but committed to bringing in the strongest protection for fans, whether at music, sport or other live events, but because it would have, in effect, created a two-tier system where sporting events were covered but music events were not. That dilutes a comprehensive package that we are putting forward to the House to clamp down on ticket touts and to call time on the rip off that has been allowed to go on in plain sight for too long, in order to give music, sports and other live events back to their fans. I also gently say that in 14 years of Tory Government, and in five years of coalition, no action was taken on this issue. A Labour Government will deliver it.

I pay particular tribute to our devolved partners. From the outset, we have been clear that this must be legislation for the whole of the United Kingdom. We have worked closely together to ensure that the Bill reflects that commitment and that the opportunities and rewards from hosting these events are shared across all four nations. When the world comes to our countries, it should be able to see and experience the very best of every part of our United Kingdom, of which we are so immensely proud.

Finally, I thank all of the individuals across Government who have worked hard to get us to this point. Major sporting events give us moments we remember for a lifetime, but their real value lies in what they leave behind: the communities they strengthen; the opportunities they create; the young people they inspire; and the pride that they help us share with the world. Through the Bill we stand ready to seize those opportunities and to make sure that when those moments come, the benefits belong to us all. I commend the Bill to the House.