Nandy Apologises for Football Regulator Rule Breach

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has apologised for failing to declare donations from David Kogan, her chosen candidate for England’s new football regulator

sarah

Nov 9, 2025 - 19:23

Nandy Apologises for Football Regulator Rule Breach

The Culture Secretary has apologised for breaking the rules by failing to declare donations from the man chosen to run England's new football regulator.

On Thursday, the Commissioner for Public Appointments published a report which found that David Kogan had given Lisa Nandy two separate donations totalling £1,450 when she was running to become Labour leader in 2020.

Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Nandy said: "We didn't meet the highest standards - that's my fault."

The Conservatives have said Ms Nandy's actions were a "serious breach of public trust" and have called for a further investigation into Sir Keir Starmer, who also received donations from Mr Kogan.

In a statement, Mr Kogan said: "As the Commissioner states, my suitability for this role has never been questioned, and I was never aware of any deviation from best practice."

Mr Kogan, a sports rights executive, was initially longlisted for the role of football regulator under the previous Conservative government.

Ms Nandy became involved in the process after Labour won the 2024 general election and she took up the role of Culture Secretary.

In April, she announced that Mr Kogan would be her preferred choice for the £130,000-a-year role.

However, a month later she removed herself from the appointment process after Mr Kogan told a parliamentary committee that he had donated "a very small amount" to Ms Nandy in 2020.

In his report, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, Sir William Shawcross, said Ms Nandy had "unintentionally" breached the code and should have checked whether Mr Kogan had given her money before selecting him as her preferred candidate.