Football Governance Bill [ Lords ] (Second sitting)

Vicky Foxcroft Excerpts

Committee stage
Tuesday 3rd June 2025 Public Bill Committees

[Joe Robertson (Isle of Wight East) (Con)]

We are debating a group of amendments that attempt to better the regulator’s independence. The shadow Minister has set out at great length—made even longer by the interruptions —how these amendments would do that.

I think we all agree that the regulator should be independent. It is perfectly open to Labour Members to say, “Hang on a minute, the Bill already does that,” but their interventions and their scoffing from sedentary positions seem to make the counterargument, “Well, when you were in government, you made political appointments to bodies like the BBC and Ofqual.”

[The Lord Commissioner of His Majesty’s Treasury (Vicky Foxcroft)]

Yes.

[Joe Robertson]

The Government Whip is agreeing from a sedentary position. “And therefore it is perfectly open to us to make a political appointment to the football regulator.” That is an extraordinary argument.