The Conservative Party has demanded an immediate ethics investigation into Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over his relationship with a major Labour donor appointed to chair the new football watchdog.
Conflict of Interest Concerns
The Tories have written to Sir Laurie Magnus, the government's independent ethics adviser, calling for scrutiny of whether Sir Keir risked a conflict of interest when David Kogan was selected as the preferred candidate to lead the Independent Football Regulator.
This development follows Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy being found to have breached the code on public appointments by failing to declare she had received donations from Mr Kogan. The media rights expert had donated money to both Sir Keir and Ms Nandy, along with other Labour figures.
Donation Details Revealed
Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart highlighted that Mr Kogan made donations to Sir Keir during the 2020 Labour leadership race and gave £2,500 to the Prime Minister's Holborn and St Pancras constituency Labour Party before last year's general election.
In his letter to Sir Laurie, Mr Burghart questioned whether the Prime Minister had "exactly the same conflict of interest – if not a greater one, given the 2024 general election donation" as his Culture Secretary.
The senior Tory also suggested that Sir Keir's "extensive hospitality from the football industry" meant he should have recused himself from any involvement in Mr Kogan's appointment process.
Regulator's Role and Recent Findings
The new football watchdog, established in April, aims to promote financial sustainability for clubs across the football pyramid and prevent major teams from joining breakaway leagues.
Commissioner Sir William Shawcross found in his report published on Thursday that when announcing Mr Kogan's preferred candidacy, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport should have publicly disclosed his political activity, particularly the £33,410 donated by him and his company to Labour Party and candidates in the preceding five years.
Ms Nandy apologised to the Prime Minister on Thursday for "unknowingly" breaking the rules by not disclosing £2,900 in donations from Mr Kogan to her leadership campaign during the 2020 race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn.
Sir Keir accepted her apology, stating she had "acted in good faith" but reprimanded her by saying "the process followed was not entirely up to the standard expected".
Conservative Demands and Government Response
Mr Burghart stated: "This week Keir Starmer let Lisa Nandy off the hook for her failure to declare a clear conflict of interest when she appointed David Kogan – one of her donors – as head of the new football regulator."
He added: "Starmer has the exact same conflict, having also secretly taken Kogan's cash. Yet whereas Nandy eventually recused herself from matters relating to the regulator's leadership, Starmer has not done so."
The shadow minister demanded that Mr Kogan's appointment "must be immediately withdrawn" and called for the Independent Adviser to investigate Sir Keir, taking appropriate action if he breached the Ministerial Code.
Government sources pointed out that Mr Kogan applied for the position under the previous Conservative government after being encouraged to do so.
A Government spokesperson responded: "The chair of the football regulator was appointed by ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as set out in the legislation. This was the case under the previous government. The independent commissioner for public appointments reviewed the appointment process extensively and found no breaches aside from those set out in the report."
Mr Kogan responded to the findings by stating he had never been "aware of any deviation from best practice" in the appointment process and could "now draw a line under the process".
