Keir Starmer has acknowledged an unfortunate mistake to the ethics chief regarding the selection of the chairman for England’s football regulator.
Despite abstaining from the process, the Prime Minister expressed his support for Labour donor David Kogan’s appointment after receiving a note in April 2025. Starmer had refrained from certain decisions in the past due to receiving hospitality from football clubs on multiple occasions.
Furthermore, Starmer had received two donations from Kogan during his campaign for the Labour leadership in 2020. This incident occurred shortly after Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy apologized for breaching a code related to the same appointment.
In a letter released by No10, Starmer informed Sir Laurie Magnus, the ethics chief, that he had previously disclosed receiving hospitality from football clubs and the Football Association on several occasions. He confirmed that he had agreed to recuse himself from decisions regarding the Football Governance Bill in autumn 2024 and had not been involved in any decisions related to the bill.
Regarding the appointment of David Kogan as the inaugural Chair of the Independent Football Regulator, Starmer stated that he had been informed of the Culture Secretary’s intention and indicated his support. However, he acknowledged that it would have been better if he had not received the note or expressed his content with the appointment, admitting it was an unfortunate error for which he expressed regret.
In response, Sir Laurie described it as regrettable that the Prime Minister had been involved in the appointment despite his recusal. However, he commended Starmer for his commitment to transparency by discussing the process openly.
Sir Laurie emphasized the importance of robust processes for managing recusals within No 10 and welcomed the internal review initiated by Starmer. He praised the disclosures made in the letter as a positive step towards transparency and improving the standards in public life.
