Oral Answers to Questions

Bayo Alaba Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lisa Nandy]

We have been clear from the outset that these are very serious allegations. Manchester City must have the right to a fair process, because it strongly refutes the allegations, but that is a matter for the Premier League. Its independent body will come to a determination about that—at which point, if the allegations are upheld, we will obviously all want to see action taken—but the process has to be allowed to run its course. I would just gently say to the hon. Gentleman that I am old enough to remember when he was putting out press releases welcoming the Independent Football Regulator, at a time when his Government were in power and intended to proceed with it, and when his Government had put the football regulator we later appointed on to the long list. If he thinks he is such a crony, he needs to ask why his Government decided to put him on the long list for the appointment in the first place.

[Mr Bayo Alaba (Southend East and Rochford) (Ind)]

Thanks to research by organisations such as the Black Footballers’ Partnership, we know that while roughly 43% of players in the English premier league are black, black people hold just 1.6% of executive and leadership positions in British football. Will the Minister agree to meet me and the Black Footballers’ Partnership to discuss how the Government can support football in closing this outdated gap?

[Lisa Nandy]

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue, which I think in the two years I have been Culture Secretary has not been raised directly with me in the House. He is absolutely right to say that that must change. The Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock), and I have done a lot of work with football and other sports to ensure that women are in positions of responsibility within clubs and organisations. I would be more than happy to meet him to discuss what we can do to right this historical wrong.