Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Leader of the House on establishing an independent football regulator.

On 23 February 2023, the Government published its ‘A Sustainable Future: Reforming Club Football Governance’ White Paper on reforms to football governance, committing to legislate for a statutory regulator for English football. This followed the Government’s Response, published in April 2022, to the independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance.

The Government subsequently undertook a targeted consultation period, including inviting comments from all 116 football clubs in the top five tiers of English football; the relevant leagues and existing footballing bodies; fan groups; legal experts; industry experts; leading academics; and civil society organisations. The Government Response was published on 7 September 2023.