Oral Answers to Questions

Louie French Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Mr Louie French (Old Bexley and Sidcup) (Con)]

I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests and my ongoing engagement with the culture, media and sport sectors as a shadow Minister. In addition to this Labour Government’s tax increases on sport, we recently learnt that their new football regulator has already spent double what the Government promised it would cost clubs and fans. When challenged on that, the chief executive of the football regulator argued that he did not agree with the Government’s forecasts, with only £1 million set aside to repay £45 million of set-up costs. That leaves £44 million unaccounted for. When should taxpayers expect their money back, and does the Secretary of State believe that the football regulator is operating to the light-touch mandate it was given by Parliament?

[Lisa Nandy]

Yes, I do. I strongly welcome the work that the Independent Football Regulator is doing, but that is less important than the fact that fans across the country strongly welcome the work that it is doing. The “State of the Game” report was a stark wake-up call to the whole of football. As the former Sports Minister, Dame Tracey Crouch, said when she established the regulator from the fan-led review, if we do not look after the foundations of football, then we will lose one of the things that brings joy to millions of people and is one of the UK’s greatest exports. It is right that we ask football to fund the regulator, it is right that we take action to ensure that there is fair financial flow through the game, and it is right that we set it up on an independent basis with a light-touch approach to ensure that we preserve the joy of football for generations to come.

[Mr French]

The other part of my question was about the £44 million that is currently unaccounted for. If the football regulator was to charge clubs on a £1 million basis over 10 years, that would equate to £10 million, which still leaves £35 million unaccounted for. Is the Secretary of State saying that football clubs should expect bigger bills next year, and how does she believe that will help make them more financially resilient?

[Lisa Nandy]

The shadow Minister has consistently stood at the Dispatch Box and challenged me and the Minister for Sport on ensuring that the football regulator is independent. We believe in that independence. The football regulator has offered him many meetings to discuss the various issues that he has raised in this House, and I am sure that it would be happy to meet to discuss funding.