Football Governance Bill [HL]

Lord Grantchester Excerpts

Consideration of Commons amendments and / or reasons
Tuesday 15th July 2025 Lords Chamber

The backstop power is what the Bill is all about. It started as a rallying call against the breakaway European Super League and ended with the creation of an independent football regulator with backstop powers to intervene in financial distribution between the Premier League and the English Football League if they fail to agree on a deal. Sadly, the Bill has become all about money, not fans. Recourse to lawyers is inevitable, and I wish the noble Lord, Lord Pannick, and his colleagues well in that context. That said, the Government have worked in another place to improve the deficient backstop, for which they should be thanked. I echo the tributes paid to the Minister for her assiduous hard work on the Bill, which cannot have been easy at any stage.

[Lord Grantchester (Lab)]

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend the Minister and commend the excellent work of her officials in her department’s Bill team on the amendments returned from the Commons that clarify and tidy provisions in the Bill. I congratulate them especially on where the Bill has been strengthened; this version is much improved from the previous Government’s drafting. I declare an interest from my past experiences, involvement, responsibilities and connections with Everton Football Club.

While transparency has been improved by these amendments, I am grateful that the exaggerated perils claimed from the Opposition Benches have continued to be resisted. These proposals will bring a more amicable resolution of the backstop. I am confident that the Bill will prove effective in including parachute payments within the remit of the regulator, as, without their inclusion, the regulator’s ability to view the financial stability and resilience of the whole football pyramid would be substantially impaired.

These amendments will reduce the risk and uncertainty in the backstop mechanism. A light touch does not signify a lack of application in maintaining vigilance across the pyramid, especially down through the leagues, where the predominance of more maverick owners has tended to congregate. However, there are other features that must be mentioned. That the regulator is fully independent of government should reassure all fans, especially now that the regulator is no longer required to consider government policies on trade and international markets. Fans will expect a rigid level playing field between clubs to be scrupulously maintained and will be encouraged that fan representatives will be democratically endorsed independently from their clubs. Meaningful engagement of fans will ensure that the heritage provisions of the Bill will not be undermined.

I too welcome the appointment of David Kogan as the first football regulator. Although he is yet to take up his post officially, it is imperative that the work begins and that swift progress is made on the state of the game report—the next milestone in this legislation’s effectiveness. May I tempt my noble friend the Minister to confirm that David Kogan has already been able to identify his team and is already drawing up proposals to begin the necessary processes to start immediately on Royal Assent?

[Lord Moynihan of Chelsea (Con)]

My Lords, despite the very kind words of my noble friend the senior Lord Moynihan, and indeed of the noble Lord, Lord Goddard, I understand that we have to be careful in declaring our interests. I declare myself a season ticket holder of the Club World Cup champions of the world, whose games I have been attending since 1958—a time when many noble Lords were not even alive.

As we enter what we might call the final minutes of extra time on this Bill, it would certainly be churlish of me not to repeat the words of my noble friend Lord Maude about the Minister’s very careful and kind attention throughout this Bill, and the improvements that have been made as this Bill has come back from the Commons. But somebody must stand up and say that there is an opinion that can be heard in this House that a regulator is a really bad idea for this sector.

In saying that, I accept that it was our side, scoring, as you might say, an own goal, who started all of this. I hope that, if ever we come to power again, we have leaders who do not say, “There go the people, I must follow them”, but who think rather longer-term, not about how football fans respond to artfully constructed opinion polls but how football fans will react to the depredations of this regulator, however well-intended and good—and everybody on all sides has applauded the selection of the regulator—that will make this sector worse, and possibly very bad.

Why do we have this regulator? Because, as the noble Baroness, Lady Taylor, mentioned, Bolton football club took some risks, went bust and got relegated. Is Bolton football club no longer? Has it now vanished? Oh, no, it is still around. For those who are not massively enamoured of or conversant with the world of business—it appears that most of the Cabinet is comprised of those who have never been involved in business—it may come as a surprise to know that this is how business works. You take risks and sometimes you go bust, then you get re-formed, as Bolton football club did, and you carry on, with the same fans and the same ground. They are in a lower division but can fight back and get re-elected to higher divisions.

Arts

Lord Grantchester Excerpts

Thursday 1st February 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Grantchester (Lab)]

It was good to see the Minister on his first visit to Liverpool in November last year. I was surprised to hear it was his first visit to Britain’s premier city.

[Noble Lords]

Oh!

[Lord Grantchester (Lab)]

I am sure he will have been thrilled to find such a fine, vibrant city, with deep cultural and artistic traditions that have given rise to a business community of talent across all the arts. The message from Liverpool is that you do not need to go to London to experience artistic excellence. Liverpool is set on reversing the gravitational pull to the south.

However, let us not forget the need for investment in infrastructure: the failing historic buildings still need central funding. The port city and its maritime industry were revolutionised through the creation of the Albert Dock and, after falling into dereliction, the area was transformed into a renowned cultural destination that has become a model of successful regeneration. But the fabric is now outdated. Liverpool Museums boasts National Museum Liverpool on the waterfront, the Walker Art Gallery, World Museum, the Lady Lever and the Williamson on the Wirral, along with Tate Liverpool. These are homes of national art collections as well as modern and contemporary art in the north. Liverpool was recently voted the seventh best city of the world and tourism accounts for roughly 48% of the local economy, with a majority of visitors citing the dock and the museums there as the main reasons to visit. But cost rises present huge challenges: wage rises are 14% and energy bills have increased by 100%, while DCMS grants have grown by 4%.

However, great things are happening. Liverpool is committed to its waterfront transformation project. Both the Tate and National Museums Liverpool have received £10 million each of levelling-up funding. Yesterday, the Wolfson Foundation announced a fantastic £1.25 million award for the transformation of Tate Liverpool. But certainty is certainly needed for the waterfront project. From the Minister’s visit in November, can he say how his department is assessing financial support for the development of the International Slavery Museum and the Maritime Museum of National Museums Liverpool? Here I want to mention the bees project, which is a very innovative and immersive educational project outlining the importance of conservation and pollination that needs funding certainty, looking naturally to DCMS and Defra to contribute.

I want to mention the Liverpool Film Studio, rising from the regeneration of the iconic Littlewoods Edge Lane building. It is the Minister able to encourage this in any way as the new home for film in the north?

Finally, I mention the John Moores modern art prize at the Walker, the longest running art prize open to all painters, trained and untrained, that has brought prominence to professional and emerging talent alike. I declare my interest as a trustee of this charity. Being at the leading edge, the show demonstrates the breadth of work across the UK in contemporary painting. I was glad that my noble friend Lady Bakewell mentioned Peter Doig, who was a past winner of the prize in his earlier years. All this provides excellence, along with the musical tradition of the Philharmonic and the Mersey sound, revolutionised in the hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest last year in place of Ukraine. This all provides evidence of the GVA to local enterprises through the promotion of the arts, and I wish the noble Lord many more happy visits to Liverpool.

Football Clubs: Ownership Test

Lord Grantchester Excerpts

Monday 29th November 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

Tracey Crouch, in the fan-led review, makes the point about an integrity test. As I said, we welcome the report—we will look at all the recommendations and come forward with our response to them in due course.

[Lord Grantchester (Lab)]

I declare my interest as recorded in the register. Would the Minister agree that transparency is an important part of the fit and proper person test? Has the Premier League given an answer to the following question to its football clubs, the Government or the media: what are the governance differences from the previous position, which ruled out the Newcastle United purchase, to the position agreed by the Premier League on 7 October that the takeover is now acceptable, such that the assurances of no interference from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can be relied upon? Can the answer be given to assure all football fans concerned about the propriety of the game?

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

I do not know if the Premier League has answered that, but I will certainly take the point away and ask on behalf of the noble Lord. But, as I say, the takeover of Newcastle United has been a matter for it and the Premier League, which undertook its own due diligence as part of the owners and directors test.