Contributions
1,554 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting)Absolutely. We will come on to the owners and directors test later in the Bill Committee; perhaps we can explore this further at that point. The one point I would make to the…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)It is a pleasure once again to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I thank the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup for his amendment. He made some important points in his…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)Perfect. The annual declaration condition requires a club to submit an annual declaration to the regulator, which sets out all the notifications that the club has made, or should…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)I will address some of my hon. Friend’s points, if he bears with me for a moment. If I do not, I will be very happy to give way. All clubs must regularly consult a representative…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)In certain circumstances. I am hesitant to use the word “new” information, because the information may not be new. However, if relevant information comes to light for the…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting)I appreciate the shadow Minister’s comments. I will address them in detail when we come to the relevant debate. Question put and agreed to. Clause 20 accordingly ordered to stand…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)Absolutely, and I refer back to some of our earlier conversations. If we take the regulatory regime as a whole, at the very basic level, owners need to have a business plan,…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting)I am saying that the regulator may—I am not saying definitely will, because I do not want to get into hypotheticals of what it will do or not—appoint an interim officer to assist…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)Yes, absolutely. That goes back to the discussion that we had earlier on new clause 15. The regulator will take credible information seriously. Clause 34 provides the regulator…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)I will begin with the subject of UEFA. Once again, I can reassure the shadow Minister that UEFA is content with the Bill as drafted. He will note that, in answer to his written…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)I am grateful to the shadow Minister for those questions. Throughout this process, we have been keen to reiterate that discretionary conditions must be proportionate to the club’s…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)There are different thresholds for new owners and incumbent owners; with new owners, it is grounds for suspecting, but with incumbent owners, it is the balance of probabilities.…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)I am grateful to the shadow Minister for those questions. I reiterate, as I said in an earlier intervention, that the licensing is separate from the ownership. On some of his…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)As we have heard throughout the passage of the Bill, football clubs hold unique importance to their fans and local communities, and it is these fans who lose out when clubs are…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for tabling the amendments, which I will take in turn in responding to the points that he made. Broadly, amendments 107 and 108 concern integral powers…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Fifth sitting)Absolutely. I will repeat the wording I just used in the Committee: to be very clear, the regulator is not going to prescriptively micromanage each club’s board or set targets or…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)It is important for sustainability that incumbent owners and officers continue to be suitable custodians of their clubs. That is why the Bill gives the regulator the power to test…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Wokingham for tabling new clause 15 and the hon. Member for Newbury for speaking to it, but it is already open to anyone, including all those listed in…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)Yes, absolutely. We very much want that confidence to be established. We simply do not think that regulating junior employees, supporters trusts or the FSA is appropriate or…10 Jun 2025HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Sixth sitting)The regulator’s owners and directors test has been designed to prevent unsuitable custodians from running or owning clubs. Therefore, the regulator needs to know who a club’s…10 Jun 2025