English Football: Financial Sustainability and Governance

Luke Murphy Excerpts

Thursday 6th March 2025 Westminster Hall

[Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)]

For too long, the governance and financial model of our game has left clubs vulnerable to mismanagement, unscrupulous ownership and, ultimately, financial ruin. I am fantastically proud of my local club Basingstoke Town FC, with its much-loved Camrose ground, but it is one such example. For over 70 years, the Camrose was the heart of our town�s club. It was a vital community hub where generations of fans came together to support their team, but the covenant on the ground that should have guaranteed a sports facility for the town for another three decades at least was, and continues to be, blatantly and disgracefully disregarded.

In 2016 the then chairman of the club sold the freehold of the Camrose to a company he owned, following years of underinvestment in the stadium. He eventually evicted the newly formed community club from the Camrose in April 2019. That stadium now stands in ruins. A once iconic stadium that brought pride and opportunities to our town has been reduced to a distant memory. In that time, it is the fans of the club, including those in the Gallery today, who have fought the injustice that went on and continue to power the club now. One such example is Jack Miller, the chairman, as well as all the volunteers who keep the club going.

Basingstoke Town is a non-league club. Those clubs also need protection. Could I ask the Minister to put on record what the Government plan to do about that?

Film Industry

Luke Murphy Excerpts

Wednesday 9th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lisa Nandy]

Notwithstanding the rivalry that is going on in the Chamber today, my hon. Friend has a genuine claim to represent one of the country’s cultural hubs. We are well aware of the challenges that he and his constituents are facing in attempting to preserve that cultural offer—we are absolutely on the case—and I look forward to working with him to ensure that we protect it for generations to come.

[Luke Murphy (Basingstoke) (Lab)]

I, too, welcome the statement. Last week I had the pleasure of opening a state-of-the-art media suite at Basingstoke College of Technology, which uses high-tech facilities similar to those employed in “Star Wars”. I am afraid I must inform my colleagues that, although it is near Berkshire, the Hollywood of the UK is actually in Hampshire. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me about the importance of investing in such facilities in order to ensure that we can provide the necessary education and skills for those who want to go into the industry in future? Perhaps one of her Ministers could visit the college to meet the students who are learning with the aid of those brand-new high-tech facilities.

[Lisa Nandy]

I must say to my hon. Friend that he would have made a much more compelling case for his constituency being the Hollywood of the UK had he come here dressed as a stormtrooper. He might consider that next time. As for education and skills, I very much agree with him, but we are acutely aware that in some parts of the country the opportunities for young people to gain work experience, to benefit from mentoring, and to meet the people who do these jobs and therefore believe that they or someone like them could go on to do them as well are very limited. We are looking into what we can do about that.

My hon. Friend was right to raise the subject of acting, but it is not just a question of acting; it is a question of the range of jobs that the creative industries support—jobs that a young person like me would never have dreamt of going into, because we simply would not have known about them. I want to ensure that we break that cycle, and that the next generation know there is no limit to what they can achieve with the help of this Labour Government.