Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy issued an apology for breaching a code on public appointments by failing to disclose that a candidate for the chairmanship of the football regulator had contributed to her leadership campaign. Nandy acknowledged that her selection of David Kogan as chair of the Independent Football Regulator had inadvertently violated the governance code by not disclosing his donation to her leadership campaign.
In a letter to Sir Keir Starmer, Nandy expressed regret for the oversight and admitted to the unintentional breach of the Governance Code on Public Appointments. Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged Nandy’s actions were taken in good faith but noted that the process did not meet the expected standards.
David Kogan, a media rights expert, was identified as the government’s preferred choice to lead the Independent Football Regulator in April. A probe was initiated following revelations that Kogan had made donations to both Starmer and Nandy, among other Labour figures, prompting complaints and calls for an investigation by the commissioner for public appointments.
Commissioner Sir William Shawcross’s report revealed that the appointment of Labour donor David Kogan by the government breached the Governance Code on public appointments in three instances. Apart from Nandy’s failure to disclose Kogan’s donations, the potential conflict of interest was not addressed during the interview, and Kogan’s ties to the Labour Party were undisclosed.
Sir William acknowledged Nandy’s inadvertent breach but emphasized that she should have verified any donations from Kogan before selecting him as the top candidate. Nandy stated that upon learning of the donations in June, she promptly disclosed them and recused herself from the appointment process.
The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport should have publicly disclosed Kogan’s political contributions, amounting to £33,410 to the Labour Party and its candidates in the preceding five years, when announcing his candidacy. Nandy highlighted that she had taken substantial measures to ensure transparency but had not identified the specific donations in question.
In response to Nandy’s letter, PM Johnson accepted the commissioner’s findings of an unknowing error and commended her integrity. He acknowledged the need for improved guidance on handling conflicts of interest and affirmed that the report did not raise doubts about Kogan’s suitability for the role of chair of the Independent Football Regulator.
