Sir Keir Starmer has expressed his “sincere regret” to his ethics adviser over signing off the appointment of Labour donor David Kogan as chairman of England’s football regulator.
The Prime Minister said he made an “unfortunate error” in confirming he was happy with the appointment, after recusing himself from decisions relating to the Football Governance Bill because of his interest in football.
In a letter to his independent standards adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister wrote: “In April 2025, a note was submitted to me informing me that, after running the appointment process, the Culture Secretary wanted to appoint David Kogan as the inaugural Chair of the Independent Football Regulator, subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the Select Committee.
“The note asked me whether I was content. I confirmed that I was supportive.
“I knew that the decision was for the Secretary of State to take and I replied on the basis that the decision had been taken.
“In retrospect, it would have been better if I had not been given the note or confirmed that I was content with the appointment. This was an unfortunate error for which I express my sincere regret.”
Sir Keir added he had asked his officials to carry out an internal review of the processes by which recusals are managed in No 10.
In his reply, Sir Laurie said: “It is regrettable, as you say in your letter, that despite the recusal we agreed in autumn 2024 concerning the Football Governance Bill, you were asked to confirm that you were content with the proposed appointment recommended by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in line with her statutory responsibilities as the appointing authority.
“It is important that robust processes for the management of recusals are in place in No 10 and I welcome the internal review you have commissioned in this connection.
“I consider that the disclosures made in your letter are an important demonstration of your commitment to transparency and to ensuring that mistakes are acknowledged and necessary steps taken to improve processes underpinning standards in public life.”
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