Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill

Lord Lemos Excerpts

2nd reading
Friday 24th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Lemos) (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank all the noble Lords who have spoken today in what has been a very important and interesting debate. I am particularly grateful to my noble friend Lord Brennan of Canton for his work in sponsoring the Bill not just in your Lordships’ House but, as he noted, in the other place. I admire his determination and resolution to get the job done.

The Bill, as all noble Lords have noted, addresses a clear and pressing issue: the growing problem of unauthorised access to football matches, particularly at high-profile fixtures. It proposes a new football specific offence of unauthorised entry to designate matches to address this, capturing a broad range of behaviours from tailgating and forced entry to the use of forged documents and impersonation of matchday staff. I want to emphasise how important, as other noble Lords have acknowledged, this new offence of unauthorised entry is.

My noble friend Lord Mann and the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, have referred to ingenious measures used in the past for entering football grounds. My noble friend Lord Mann said that, once he had his school dinners, he could not he could not be lifted over the turnstiles anymore. We have breakfast clubs now, so it will be even more difficult.

Crucially, this measure enables courts to impose football banning orders on convictions for the offences, which is very important. These are civil orders that provide a strong deterrent and are a vital tool to prevent repeat offending and protect public safety. A number of noble Lords asked what grounds we have for believing that these measures will be effective. I reassure your Lordships’ House that the evidence shows that football banning orders of the sort we are discussing are highly effective in transforming behaviour. The large majority of individuals whose orders have expired are assessed by police as no longer posing any significant threat of football-related violence or disorder. We know these orders are effective in deterring banned fans from attempting to enter stadiums, have strong rehabilitative impact and are regarded as a serious consequence by those considering unlawful behaviour. A number of noble Lords, including the noble Lord, Lord Addington, and my noble friend Lord Shamash, stressed the importance of enforcement, and of course I agree. But they will know that enforcement is a matter for local police forces on these matters.

On the question of the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, about resources being available, the Home Office remains committed to exploring ways to support policing in recovering a greater share of special police services costs. This is an important issue and requires careful consideration. To better understand the options and potential impact of any changes, we are conducting further engagement and analysis over the coming months and are grateful for policing’s continued engagement on this. So this matter is under very active consideration.

The Bill responds directly, as noble Lords have noted, to the recommendations of the independent review of the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, into the serious disorder at the Euro 2020 final. I am sure that noble Lords recall those events vividly and therefore understand the importance of these measures. Thousands of ticketless individuals gained access to Wembley Stadium, many through mass forced entry or tailgating, and this problem is reoccurring. We saw further evidence of this at the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, again at Wembley, where groups of ticketless fans made repeated attempts to breach security. Similar behaviour is also seen at Premier League matches, particularly where away allocations are limited. This is a wider pattern, not a one-off event, and therefore we must address it. Such behaviour is not only selfish and dishonest but dangerous. It places enormous strain on stadium security, creates serious risks to public safety and undermines the experience of law-abiding fans, and it can be very expensive for clubs. This measure will help with that too.

The Government are clear that this cannot be allowed to continue, which is why we are actively supporting this Bill. Forced entry, tailgating and so-called jibbing are not victimless acts. Those involved are often aggressive, violent or threatening, and their actions can lead to overcrowding, blocked emergency exits and frightening conditions for innocent fans. In some cases, individuals have even attempted to bribe stewards or turnstile operators to gain access. This will also be captured by the new offence. The offence will additionally apply to those who knowingly attempt to use a ticket, whether physical or digital, that has already been used. This is not about criminalising honest mistakes or punishing fans who have been misled. The Bill includes important safeguards to ensure that individuals with lawful authority, such as emergency workers or stadium staff, are not caught by the offence when going about their business. It will also not apply to those who unwittingly purchase counterfeit tickets in good faith or breach the terms and conditions of a legitimate ticket.

I will clarify a couple of other matters that noble Lords raised. Although this Bill does not directly cover those who facilitate unauthorised entry, this conduct would be covered under the Fraud Act 2006 or the Theft Act 1968, depending on the facts of the case. I note, for my noble friend Lord Mann, that political agitators or anyone else entering the pitch without authorisation is committing an offence under Section 4 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991.

This is a proportionate, targeted and necessary measure. It reflects the unique public order challenges associated with football, which are not seen to the same extent in other sports or events. It is also consistent with the broader framework of the Football (Offences) Act.

As this was raised by noble friend Lord Mann, I reaffirm comments made in the other place about the Maccabi Tel Aviv game. As I think everyone knows from statements made in the other place, the Government fought hard to ensure that tickets would be made available for this game. However, Maccabi Tel Aviv ultimately took the difficult decision to reject the allocation, stating that it could not guarantee the safety of its supporters for the entire journey to the UK. Following the decision by Birmingham City Council last week, the Government worked closely with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to support them to consider all the options available and to tell us what resources would be needed to manage the risks. The Culture Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Community Secretary were all involved in these extensive discussions and, although the ultimate decision regarding the admittance of away fans is for the local authority to make, we were clear that resources should not be the determining factor in deciding whether to admit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. We are disappointed that the allocation will not be taken up.

This Bill enjoyed cross-party support throughout its passage through the other place, and rightly so. It has been welcomed by both the Football Association and the police as a timely and effective response to a growing problem. This is a fan-friendly measure that protects the vast majority of decent supporters from the actions of a disruptive minority. It will help to ensure that football remains a safe and welcoming environment for all and such an important part of our national life. Therefore, I reiterate the Government’s support for this measure and thank my noble friend for this important debate, which I am sure will be continued as the Bill makes progress.

Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill

Lord Lemos Excerpts

3rd reading
Friday 16th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Brennan of Canton, should be very proud; I do not think there can be many people who have introduced the same Bill in consecutive Sessions, in two different Parliaments and two different Houses, with support from two different Governments. We thank him very much for his part in ushering these provisions on to the statute book.

The provisions flow from the review led by the noble Baroness, Lady Casey of Blackstock, commissioned by the Football Association, into the events at the Euros final at Wembley in 2021 and the sensible recommendations of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, of which I think the noble Lord was a member in another place in the last Parliament. The previous Government supported these provisions before the general election and these Benches are happy to reiterate our support today. I am glad that extends to my noble friend Lord Moynihan, who was the author of the parent Act that the noble Lord’s Bill will amend.

As noble Lords who have followed our other debates on football know, this is an area of public policy that usually passes me by. I have only ever been to one football match in my life, authorised or otherwise, and I cannot remember who won it, but I am looking forward this evening to seeing a play, “Gerry & Sewell”, which follows the adventures of two likely lads from Gateshead trying to obtain season tickets to see Newcastle United. It began in an arts space above a fried chicken shop in Whitley Bay and is playing the West End for the next two weeks. So, football touches the hearts of us all. We are very grateful to the noble Lord for his Bill and wish it a speedy passage on to the statute book.

[Lord in Waiting/Government Whip (Lord Lemos) (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their contributions to this rather lovely debate. I am sorry that the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, cannot remember who won—probably very diplomatically. I thank particularly the noble Lord, Lord Brennan of Canton, for championing this important measure through both Houses. As the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, said, it is a really important achievement.

I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, formerly Colin Moynihan, the MP for Lewisham East, where I was one of his constituents and where, despite my heroic campaigning efforts, he kept winning. Today we find ourselves more or less on the same side. I can confirm that the Government have noted his observations and will think seriously about them, and I am glad to have been working with my friend, the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, from our younger days until now.

This Bill is about protecting fans and ensuring that football matches remain safe, welcoming events for all. Unauthorised entry, whether by tailgating or forced entry, puts genuine supporters at risk, strains security and undermines match day experience. With Euro 2028 matches to be played in England and Wales, we must address these issues now so that fans can enjoy world-class football in safety and confidence. This Bill will create a clear offence of unauthorised entry and empower courts to impose football banning orders. Banning orders are a proven deterrent; they prevent repeat offenders jeopardising safety and send a strong message that dangerous or dishonest behaviour will not be tolerated. I should make it clear that this is not about punishing honest mistakes; its safeguards ensure that only those who deliberately flout the rules will be caught.

This is a proportionate, targeted and necessary measure which reflects the unique public order challenges associated with football that are not seen to the same extent in other sports or events. The Bill is consistent with the broader framework of the Football (Offences) Act 1991. It has enjoyed cross-party support throughout its passage and has been welcomed by both the Football Association and the police as a timely and effective response to a growing problem. It is a fan-friendly measure that will protect the vast majority of decent supporters from the actions of a dangerous minority and will help ensure that football remains a safe, welcoming environment for everybody. I commend it to the House.

[Lord Brennan of Canton (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank everyone for their contributions this morning. This will be a very brief debate, I hope, which will soon come to a conclusion.

As has been said, this Bill emerged from the review of the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, of the events at the Euros final on 11 July 2021, as referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson. I previously introduced the Bill in the House of Commons. Unfortunately, although it had completed Committee, it fell when former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took a walk in the rain; however, it was picked up subsequently by my colleague Linsey Farnsworth MP in the House of Commons. This slightly amended version of the Bill completed all its Commons stages. It is good to be here, having been there at the kick-off, for the final whistle very shortly.

The Bill’s intention is to create a deterrent to the sorts of scenes that were witnessed at the Euros final by making unauthorised entry into major football matches a specific offence subject to football banning orders. I thank my colleague, Linsey Farnsworth, who did an excellent job in steering the Bill through. I thank all the officials, both from government departments and the staff of this House, for their help and advice in giving this Bill its passage. I thank all the Members of your Lordships’ House who have attended and contributed to the debates on the Bill, in particular the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan. I understand from my noble friend Lord Spellar that he was formerly known, in his days as a Minister, as the “miniature for Sport” rather than the Minister for Sport, by Dennis Skinner. As somebody who is equally vertically challenged, I promise him that I will never use that term in public.

I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, for his remarks, reminding the public through his football knowledge how in touch we in the House of Lords all are. Finally, I thank my noble friend Lord Lemos for his comments from the Front Bench, and for his support for the Bill. I think we can all agree that, when all is said and done, at the end of the day, football is the winner. I beg to move.