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Calls have been made by the Conservatives for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to be investigated in relation to the appointment of Labour donor David Kogan as England’s new football watchdog. This comes after Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was found to have breached public appointment rules by not disclosing Mr Kogan’s donations to her 2020 Labour leadership campaign before selecting him for the position. The Tories argue that the prime minister had a similar conflict of interest since Mr Kogan had also contributed to the prime minister’s Labour leadership campaign.
Despite the calls for an investigation, Downing Street has rejected them, stating that a thorough review by the Independent Commissioner for Public Appointments did not find any additional breaches. Nandy initially announced Mr Kogan as the government’s preferred candidate to chair the football regulator in April, but she later recused herself from the appointment process after it was revealed that he had made donations to both her and the prime minister’s leadership campaigns.
In a report published by the commissioner for public appointments, it was disclosed that Mr Kogan had made two donations of £1,450 each to Nandy’s campaign. These donations were below the declaration thresholds set by the Electoral Commission and Parliament, but Sir William Shawcross, the commissioner, noted that Nandy should have checked for contributions from the sports agent before endorsing him. Nandy offered an apology to the prime minister, acknowledging the potential conflict of interest that the donations could have raised.
The commissioner’s report also revealed that Mr Kogan had given a separate donation of £2,500 to Sir Keir’s local Labour branch, although the exact amount donated to the prime minister’s leadership campaign was not specified. Mr Kogan’s appointment had received final approval from 10 Downing Street, and the Conservatives have called for an investigation into whether the prime minister’s involvement breached ministerial rules on transparency. The commissioner’s report highlighted that Mr Kogan was initially considered for the role under the previous Conservative government, but the process was halted after the general election
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