Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stuart Andrew and Nicola Richards

Wednesday 20th March 2024 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman that we should always share information and best practice. I will make sure that colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care hear his request and ensure that happens. At the end of the day, it is in all our shared interests to get to that goal by 2030.

[Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East) (Con)]

3. What discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for Israeli victims of sexual abuse by Hamas.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stuart Andrew and Nicola Richards

Thursday 27th April 2023 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stuart Andrew)]

Supporting grassroots sport is a key priority for the Government. Last year, Sport England received almost £350 million to fund grassroots sports projects. We are also supporting community participation, with more than £300 million between 2021 and 2025 to deliver up to 8,000 multi-sport facilities in communities across the UK.

[Nicola Richards]

I thank my right hon. Friend for the support he has provided to the campaign to confront the ownership of West Bromwich Albion, working with Andy Street and supporters groups. We have seen the huge step of the release of the football governance White Paper. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that he will continue to monitor the situation at clubs such as West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City, and ensure that the new regulator will have the ability to take action to protect the clubs that support grassroots sport in the west midlands?

[Stuart Andrew]

May I praise my hon. Friend and her colleagues for the tremendous amount of work she has done in standing up for the fans of the clubs she has worked with so closely? Frankly, too many clubs face financial troubles, and we continue to monitor situations across the football pyramid. We have set out the reforms that will protect football clubs so that they can meet their day-to-day liabilities and preserve the clubs for the future. That will include sanctions, where necessary. We will introduce new owners’ and directors’ tests, including a fitness and propriety test and enhanced due diligence of owners’ sources of wealth, and we will require owners to demonstrate robust financial plans to provide people like her constituents with the assurances they need.

Football Governance White Paper

Debate between Stuart Andrew and Nicola Richards

Thursday 23rd February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

I have mentioned, time and again, in the many Westminster Hall debates in which the hon. Gentleman has appeared that leagues such as those he mentions are incredibly important. I see my job as dealing not just with the professional side of the football pyramid; all those amateur clubs are incredibly important, as they do so much good work in our communities. Supporting them will be incredibly important and they will feature heavily in the sports strategy that we will develop very soon.

[Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East) (Con)]

Football would be nothing without the fans, which is why I am so pleased that the Government are putting them at the heart of football governance. Today, we are sending a clear message that, regardless of which team Members support, we are all on the same side as the Baggies fans in our fight for our club. I congratulate the Minister on the publication of the White Paper, which is world-leading. While he continues to support us with ongoing issues at West Bromwich Albion, will he meet fan groups that he has joined me in championing?

[Stuart Andrew]

First, I pay tribute to my hon. Friend and my hon. Friend the Member for Dudley South (Mike Wood), who have been diligent in campaigning hard on behalf of their local fans. I would be more than happy to meet them. As I said, I ensured that my first meeting as Minister was with fans, because I wanted to hear their voice loud and clear, and I am glad that through this White Paper their voices will be heard loud and clear by the regulator.

Fan-led Review and Football White Paper

Debate between Stuart Andrew and Nicola Richards

Monday 20th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Stuart Andrew]

The hon. Gentleman likes to tease me regularly on this issue. I agree with him; that is precisely why we will publish the White Paper on Thursday, and I am sure he will be pleased with its contents.

[Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East) (Con)]

Supporters groups are doing hugely important work. It has taken groups such as Action for Albion and Shareholders for Albion to highlight the genuine concerns about owners’ financial mismanagement of West Bromwich Albion. Will the Minister ensure that supporters groups have an enhanced role in football governance when the White Paper is published later this week?

[Stuart Andrew]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has been an active campaigner on this issue and has worked incredibly hard with the fans groups in her area. She is right, and that is why the first meeting I had was with fans groups. I want to ensure that they are the ones we consider most when we publish the White Paper.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stuart Andrew and Nicola Richards

Thursday 26th January 2023 Commons Chamber

[Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East) (Con)]

2. What steps she is taking to review the ownership structure of football clubs.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Stuart Andrew)]

The Government do not assess the ownership arrangements with individual clubs. However, the Government response to the recommendations made in the independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance sets out our view that tests of new owners and directors are needed to ensure the future sustainability of football clubs and the stability of the game in total.

[Nicola Richards]

Thousands of West Bromwich Albion fans are deeply concerned about the actions of the club’s ownership. The owner took a £5 million loan from the club to fund his other business—money that is yet to be repaid. The club has now taken a high-interest loan of £20 million to fund day-to-day business secured against the club’s name and stadium. Will my right hon. Friend bring forward the Government’s response to the Fan-Led Review and introduce a regulator to give fans the power to stop owners abusing the club’s assets in this way and to penalise owners whose business decisions are not in the best interests of the football club?

[Stuart Andrew]

I add my congratulations to my hon. Friend on her recent wedding and praise her for the work she has been doing in this area in support of her local football club, working closely with fans’ groups such as Action4Albion and Shareholders for Albion. We will set out our plans for reform in the White Paper, which will be published in the next few weeks and will include strong action on owners and directors to ensure that they are suitable custodians for clubs and to avoid harm to fans and local communities such as she has described.