Thursday Volume 695 20 May 2021 No. 7 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 20 May 2021 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2021 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 849 20 MAY 2021 850 announce the membership of the expert panel, which will House of Commons include players, management, regulators and, of course, fans. This is a serious review; I know people want to see Thursday 20 May 2021 change and this review will deliver it. Dame Diana Johnson: I am sure the Secretary of The House met at half-past Nine o’clock State will join me in congratulating Hull City on being league one champions this year. Hull City are one of PRAYERS many examples in recent years of where football club owners have not had the best of relationships with their fans. The recent breakaway attempt by the European [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] super league cartel of greed brought many of the issues Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Orders, that concern fans to a head. Fans do not just pay a lot to 4 June and 30 December 2020). support their clubs; they are custodians of their heritage [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] and they deserve respect. To avoid taking his eye off the ball, will he explain a bit more about exactly how fans will lead the fan-led review and when it will report back BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS to the House? MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN Oliver Dowden: I thank the right hon. Lady for her question. First, of course, I join her in congratulating The VICE-CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD reported to the House, That Her Majesty, having been attended Hull City. She is absolutely right that football clubs with its Address of 12th April, was pleased to receive form the heart of their communities and, indeed, our the same very graciously and give the following Answer: heritage. It is essential that fans play a significant role in the fan-led review, and I have been discussing that I thank you most sincerely for your expression of extensively with my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham sympathy in the great loss which I have sustained by the and Aylesford. death of my beloved husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. I am greatly moved by your kind comments and by your In terms of explicit engagement, the chair will be sincere condolences, which bring me comfort at this time. engaging extensively with supporter trusts and fan groups over the coming weeks, but I understand that that will not work for everyone, so there will also be a consultation process, which we will set out. Of course, the chair, the Oral Answers to Questions Sports Minister—the Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Nigel Huddleston)—and I will be engaging with parliamentarians as part of the review DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT as well. On the question about timing, I would expect an interim report by the summer and a further report by The Secretary of State was asked— the autumn. Football Governance: Fan-led Review Tony Lloyd [V]: There are two football teams in my life: Manchester United, who are No. 2 in the premiership, Dame Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) and Rochdale, who are sadly heading for league two of (Lab): What steps he is taking to progress the fan-led the football league. The idea that they are part of the review of football governance. [900230] same football pyramid has frankly been a nonsense for many years, but what unites the supporters of both Tony Lloyd (Rochdale) (Lab): What steps he is taking those clubs and many more is the demands that we will to progress the fan-led review of football governance. never again see the ability for a European super league [900234] to take place, that the clammy hand, the dollar-studded fingers, of the corporates such as the Glazers be taken Zarah Sultana (Coventry South) (Lab): What steps off the throat of football—that is so important—and that, he is taking to progress the fan-led review of football once again, we will recreate a proper pyramid of football governance. [900237] in this country. Will the Secretary of State guarantee that he will legislate to bring about those kinds of ends? Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab): What steps he is taking to progress the fan-led review of football Oliver Dowden: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his governance. [900245] question. The points he made about the football pyramid are precisely why the terms of reference of the review, The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and which we set out to the House, explicitly covered examining Sport (Oliver Dowden): Football is nothing without “the flow of money through the football pyramid, including fans, so it has been a joy to see them back cheering on solidarity and parachute payments, and broadcasting revenue.” their teams this week, and we stand unequivocally on I have said before, and am happy to say again, that I the side of fans. Our manifesto committed to putting have set up this review with someone who is genuinely them front and centre of our review of football governance independent in the form of my hon. Friend the Member and we are delivering on that. That is why I appointed for Chatham and Aylesford. I fully hope and expect to my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford accept the recommendations, and should those require (Tracey Crouch) as chair and, this weekend, I will legislation, we will find time to do that. 851 Oral Answers 20 MAY 2021 Oral Answers 852 Zarah Sultana [V]: As an MP for Coventry, where, in duty of care particularly to the young people they work recent years, our football club has repeatedly forced with, and I am sure that my hon. Friend the Member fans to drive miles from the city to watch home matches, for Chatham and Aylesford will consider those points. and as a diehard Liverpool fan, one of the clubs involved As my hon. Friend is aware, the Football Association in the proposed breakaway European super league, I has recently received a report on safeguarding and has know fans’ anger at owners’ decisions all too well. committed to implementing all its recommendations. Ultimately, this will be changed only with fan ownership, We will certainly be holding the FA to account for like the 50+1 rule in Germany, but the Government doing that. could make a more immediate change to improve this. On major decisions such as moving ground or forming Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab): Given that a new league, they could require clubs to secure a there was a Select Committee report and a Government 50% plus 1 majority of season-ticket holders. Will the response saying that they would legislate 10 years ago, Government heed that demand or will they just kick the it is a bit rich for the Secretary of State to claim that he problem into the long grass? is acting swiftly—but anyway, that aside, given the announcement only last week that the Government are Oliver Dowden: The hon. Lady mentions the governance prepared to set aside competition objections to preserve structures in other countries. The terms of reference of the status quo for three years, he will understand the the review explicitly say that we will be exploring healthy scepticism at the idea that the Government “governance structures in other countries, including ownership genuinely want change. So to answer that scepticism, models, and whether any aspects could be beneficially translated will he confirm that, by the end of this Parliament, to the English league system”. we will see a better model of redistribution in football The review will proceed at pace, as I set out in a previous that will see more money shift down the pyramid—yes answer, and we will then proceed at pace to implement or no? any recommendations that follow from it. Oliver Dowden: The hon. Lady is conflating two Mr Dhesi: The greed of the super-rich club owners issues about competition law and the Premier League. who wanted to destroy the football pyramid, which The Sports Minister has set out the Government’sposition benefits everybody, and proceed with their botched in a written ministerial statement. This is about securing plans for a European super league has been well and football finances during a period of crisis, and it is essential truly kicked into touch by the power and solidarity of that we do that. Clearly we will all have an open mind as football fans across our country, but this Government we get the response, but the reason for considering this helped to create the crisis by ignoring Labour’s calls for is that we want to ensure that money keeps going into years and by failing to progress with a fan-led review of the game. football governance, so would the Secretary of State like to apologise on behalf of the Government for On the point about change, of course that is precisely failures and missed opportunities and tell us exactly why I asked my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham when the review will report back to this House? and Aylesford, who I know the hon. Lady has worked closely with in the past, and I think we can trust her to Oliver Dowden: I do not intend to apologise.