Football Governance Act 2025: Statutory Guidance
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)
Today I am updating the House to confirm that, following Royal Assent of the Football Governance Act 2025 in July, the Government have laid before Parliament a draft of the statutory guidance on the meaning of “Significant Influence or Control” under schedule 1 to the Act. As per the Act, the draft guidance is laid in Parliament for 40 days, during which either House may resolve not to approve it. If no such resolution is made, the Secretary of State may publish the guidance.
As set out in the Act, the independent football regulator will operate a new suitability and approval regime for owners, directors and senior executives of regulated clubs. The guidance supports the schedule 1 definition of an “owner” by providing interpretative detail on “significant influence and control.” Its purpose is to help ensure that fans can identify the real persons exercising control of their clubs, notwithstanding any opaque or complex ownership structures. This will give fans the much-needed transparency they deserve.
In developing the draft, we have drawn on the approach used in the Companies Act “Persons with Significant Control” regime, to ensure that we are aligned with current precedent. We have included industry-specific examples, which have been tested with the football industry to make the concept more tangible for all who will have to interpret it, especially clubs, and to ensure that the guidance is suited to the regulated industry.
In both Houses, we committed to laying this draft guidance before clubs are required to identify their owners in their personnel statements. Laying the draft now delivers on that commitment and provides clarity for clubs in advance of the regime for testing owners commencing.
The laying of this draft guidance is a key step in implementing the Football Governance Act 2025. This delivers the Government’s election promises to combat poor governance and financial mismanagement of football clubs in this country, and to put fans back at the heart of English football.
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UK-Portugal Double Taxation Convention
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The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Dan Tomlinson)
A double taxation convention with Portugal was signed in London on 15 September 2025. The text of the convention is available on the HM Revenue and Customs pages of the gov.uk website and will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses. The text of the convention will be scheduled to a draft Order in Council and laid before the House of Commons in due course.
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Post Office Capture Redress Scheme: Tax Exemptions
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The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury (Dan Tomlinson)
On 19 June 2025, the Department for Business and Trade announced a new compensation scheme that offers redress to postmasters affected by errors in the Capture software, which predates the use of the Horizon software. DBT has set up the capture redress scheme to compensate postmasters.
The Government are committed to ensuring that postmasters are treated fairly and will legislate to formalise tax exemptions shortly, ensuring that no income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, corporation tax, where applicable, or inheritance tax will be payable for redress received under this scheme.
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Improvements to Windrush Compensation Scheme
(2 days, 2 hours ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mike Tapp)
Last year, the Government committed to resetting its response to the Home Office Windrush scandal, with a renewed focus on ensuring that members of the Windrush generation receive the support they deserve, delivered swiftly, fairly, and with dignity. Since that time, we have taken forward several actions to honour that commitment.
We have appointed Rev. Clive Foster MBE as the first UK Windrush commissioner on 18 June 2025, fulfilling a manifesto commitment. His crucial role provides independent oversight of the Government’s ongoing commitment to address the impact of the Home Office Windrush scandal and ensure that the voices of those affected remain at the heart of efforts to deliver justice and lasting change.
Through the work of the re-established Windrush unit, this Government have sought to strengthen engagement with victims, their families, communities and stakeholder organisations. This is enabling us to hear at first hand the impact that the Home Office Windrush scandal had and continues to have on individuals and communities, and to make sure there is a real appreciation of the impact that policies and decisions have on people’s lives.
We remain resolute in our determination to ensure that the Windrush compensation scheme reflects lived experiences and delivers compensation in a manner that is both just and prompt. We have listened carefully to urgent recommendations from the Windrush commissioner and feedback from community representatives, stakeholders and claimants. In response, I am announcing significant changes to the scheme.
For the first time, the scheme will compensate for the financial impact of lost occupational and personal pension contributions where individuals were unable to work due to being unable to demonstrate their lawful status in the UK. Compensation will also be available to those who had to withdraw funds from existing pension pots to support themselves and their families. This is in addition to existing provisions to ensure individuals’ state pensions are not affected by time spent unable to access employment.
The scope of compensation for employment-related losses will be expanded to reflect wage growth and account for the challenges of returning to work following a long period of unemployment.
The immigration fees category will be broadened to cover any application fees incurred due to uncertainty about lawful status. This includes both successful and unsuccessful applications, ensuring that no one is left out of pocket by needing to prove their status.
And lastly, we have heard the concerns from communities about individuals passing away before receiving the compensation they are entitled to, as well as the financial hardships some are suffering. In response, people will now be offered an advance payment when seeking a review of their final compensation decision. Under this provision, individuals may receive up to 75% of their total compensation before the review process is fully concluded. We will also prioritise allocation of claims for individuals aged 75 and over, alongside existing measures for those with critical or life-shortening illnesses. These changes will be applied retrospectively, and updated rules and guidance will be published in due course.
We recognise that no amount of money can undo the pain, disruption and loss experienced by members of the Windrush generation and their families, but through meaningful action, we are determined to acknowledge that harm, provide redress, and rebuild the trust that was so profoundly damaged.
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Implementing Awaab’s Law
(2 days, 2 hours ago)
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The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed)
Tenants must feel protected and safe in their homes, which is why Awaab’s law is crucial legislation, and I am pleased to announce that it is coming into force today for all emergency hazards and damp and mould hazards. These regulations represent a landmark step forward in ensuring that every resident of social housing lives in a safe, decent home, and that swift, responsible action is taken by landlords when hazards are identified.
The tragic death of Awaab Ishak, aged just two, in December 2020, due to prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s social home, shocked the nation. His parents, Faisal and Aisha, have shown extraordinary courage and determination in campaigning to ensure that no other family suffers such a preventable loss.
Early last year, the previous Government ran a consultation on Awaab’s law, publishing the Government response in June 2024. On 25 June 2025, regulations for phase 1 of Awaab’s law were laid in Parliament, and they are now in force. The regulations prescribe requirements that every social landlord in England must comply with. Failure to do so will constitute a breach of contract, and tenants will rightly be able to take legal action through the courts, or take action through the housing ombudsman, ensuring that tenants can hold landlords fully accountable if they fail to meet the required standards and timescales. These new requirements do not replace or lessen existing duties.
Social landlords already have clear legal obligations to keep homes fit for human habitation, free from category 1 hazards, and to remedy disrepair. Many landlords go beyond these obligations to provide their residents with a quality service. Awaab’s law strengthens these obligations by introducing clear, time-bound requirements and a robust route to enforcement.
From today all social landlords must:
Investigate emergency hazards and make them safe within 24 hours;
Investigate significant hazards, including damp and mould, within 10 working days;
Provide a written summary of findings to tenants within three working days of the investigation concluding;
Take action to make the home safe within five working days of the investigation concluding;
Begin further works to prevent recurrence within 12 weeks;
Complete repairs within a reasonable timeframe; and
Offer suitable alternative accommodation if the home cannot be made safe within the required timescales.
These measures mean that no tenant will have to live in unsafe conditions without a route to take action. Landlords must act swiftly to fix dangerous hazards and dangerous damp and mould. I am determined to extend these protections to all hazards and have committed to apply Awaab’s law to hazards such as excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse, fire, electrical hazards, explosions and hygiene risks in 2026, and to all remaining hazards under the housing health and safety rating system in 2027. By taking a phased, test-and-learn approach, I am clear that transformational change will be delivered effectively, proportionately and sustainably across the sector—ensuring consistent application of the law and full preparedness to deliver these new duties.
Implementing Awaab’s law represents a significant change. To support this cultural shift in the way tenants and landlords will engage in tackling safety issues in their homes, the Department has published guidance to aid implementation. Tenant-facing materials will be made available through the “Make things right” campaign, explaining how Awaab’s law will protect tenants and how tenants can raise concerns. Additional guidance for tenants will be published explaining how tenants can use Awaab’s law, and the Government will continue to work closely with the regulator of social housing and the housing ombudsman to ensure clear, consistent implementation.
Awaab’s law is a critical part of the Government’s broader programme to raise the standard and safety of social housing and to strengthen tenants’ voices. While many landlords already provide good-quality homes and responsive services, too many tenants still live in homes that are unsafe or poorly maintained. This must change. As well as Awaab’s law, we have also introduced new regulations that mean social landlords must have the electrics in their homes inspected and tested at least every five years.
We have also launched a £1 million social housing innovation fund to fund innovative projects that improve tenants’ engagement with their landlords and ensure that they have influence over decisions affecting their homes.
Awaab’s law is not about creating unnecessary burden; it is about ensuring that tenants’ voices are heard, that action is taken responsibly, and that homes are safe and decent. It represents the change that social housing residents have long deserved and is central to restoring trust, fairness and accountability in the sector.
Delivering the transformational change that Awaab Ishak’s family fought for is essential—and every tenant has the right to expect nothing less.
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