Keir Starmer has acknowledged making an “unfortunate mistake” to the ethics chief regarding the appointment of the chairman of England’s football regulatory body.
Despite having previously recused himself from such decisions due to receiving hospitality from football clubs, the Prime Minister expressed his support for the appointment of Labour donor David Kogan after being informed about it in April 2025. Starmer had refrained from involvement in decisions related to football governance following his acceptance of hospitality from football clubs and the Football Association, as disclosed in a letter to Sir Laurie Magnus, the ethics chief.
The revelation of two donations from Kogan during Starmer’s 2020 Labour leadership campaign raised concerns about the potential conflict of interest. This development occurred shortly after Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, had issued an apology for breaching a code in relation to the same appointment, failing to disclose Kogan’s past donations to her leadership campaign.
In a letter released by No10, Starmer detailed his prior declaration of hospitality from football entities, agreeing to abstain from decisions related to the Football Governance Bill. However, he admitted to approving Kogan’s appointment as the inaugural Chair of the Independent Football Regulator in April 2025, despite acknowledging that the decision rested with the Secretary of State. Starmer described this action as an “unfortunate error” and expressed his sincere regret.
In response, Sir Laurie Magnus described the involvement of the Prime Minister in the appointment process as regrettable, despite Starmer’s previous recusal. However, he commended Starmer’s commitment to transparency and the internal review initiated to address the situation, emphasizing the importance of robust processes to manage recusals effectively.
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