Latest news with #LisaNandy
The Independent
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Why is Labour's pick to be football regulator leading to cries of foul play?
L isa Nandy, secretary of state for culture, media and sport (DCMS), has decided to recuse herself from the final decision on the appointment of the first official football regulator, David Kogan, the government's preferred nominee. At a relatively late stage in proceedings, Kogan revealed in his confirmation hearing at the DCMS select committee that he had donated 'very small' amounts of money to both Keir Starmer and Nandy. This has led to allegations about a conflict of interest and, now, Nandy's unusual decision to stand aside from the decision-making process. Much more than the 'freebies scandal' in Labour's first days back in power, this is the most prominent case of anything like 'sleaze' or ' cronyism ' touching the Starmer administration. How did this happen? It's not entirely obvious. Had Kogan found a way to make his financial support for Starmer and Nandy clear at the earliest possible opportunity, then his embarrassment, and that of ministers, might have been avoided. Or perhaps Starmer and, more apposite, Nandy might have done so. Why didn't she? We don't know. Arguably, leaving it so late made it look like he had something to hide, but there's no reason to think that he's been given any special treatment by the Labour government. Indeed, Kogan was first 'tapped up' for the transfer by the Conservatives, who first proposed creating such a post. Who is David Kogan? He's well qualified to be the football regulator, to be fair. He's had a long career in the media, having worked for the likes of the BBC, Wasserman Media Group and Magnum Photos, and was later the chief media rights adviser to the Premier League between 1998 to 2015. He has also worked with the English Football League, the International Olympic Committee and the US National Football League. The select committee, despite their misgivings, saw fit to endorse his nomination. The committee chair, Caroline Dinenage, however, noted that: '[His] past donations to the Labour Party will inevitably leave him open to charges of political bias in a job where independence is paramount.' In response, Nandy delegated final approval of Kogan to Stephanie Peacock, a junior DCMS minister. How 'Labour' is Kogan? Very. As a young man, he was co-author of The Battle for the Labour Party (1982). The book, written alongside his uncle Maurice Kogan, is one of the best contemporary accounts of the party's traumas during the Thatcher ascendancy. He has made nine donations to the Labour Party, totalling some £33,000 since 2022, including a payment of £5,000 for Rachel Reeves's activities. He was also chair of LabourList until last month. What are the opposition parties doing about it? Making a small fuss. The Tory spokesperson, Louie French, says that it is a 'potential breach of the Governance Code on Public Appointments' that 'must urgently be investigated' and 'represents a clear discourtesy to both this House and the DCMS select committee'. What does it mean for Nandy? It's not ideal. A few months ago, she was rumoured to be up for the sack by Starmer for her performance, or else dropped if her sprawling department is dismantled in some future reshuffle. She's already been demoted by Starmer while in opposition; she was once shadow foreign secretary after finishing third in the 2020 leadership contest (also behind Rebecca Long-Bailey). Never on the hard left – she was Owen Smith's campaign manager for his futile bid to usurp then-leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2016 – the MP for Wigan has consistently acted as a bit of an advocate for the soft left/northern interests within the party. It's probably fair to conclude that she and her leader have gradually drifted away from one another. On the backbenches, she could easily become an informal leader of dissent and a bigger problem for the leadership than some in Downing Street seem to consider her now. Will Kogan get the job?
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lisa Nandy to be quizzed on football regulator after accusations of cronyism
A full inquiry has been launched into Lisa Nandy's proposed appointment of David Kogan as chairman of the Independent Football Regulator following accusations of cronyism. William Shawcross, the commissioner for public appointments, has opened an investigation in the wake of Kogan's revelation last month that he had donated to the Culture Secretary's Labour leadership campaign. Shawcross, whose intervention has been welcomed by the Conservatives, confirmed the inquiry in an email to Susannah Storey, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's permanent secretary, last Thursday. He wrote: 'Having now completed an initial assessment of this case, informed by spot checks, I believe that a full inquiry into the campaign is necessary. 'This inquiry will be conducted with the object of ensuring that the appointment was made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, including the principles of public appointments. I would be grateful if you could ensure that all requests for information relating to this campaign are fulfilled quickly and in full. 'Once my office has received all the relevant correspondence and documents, the inquiry will take the time necessary to clarify the procedures and practices followed by the appointing authority during this campaign. 'This is likely to involve interviews with key participants, including the Government's preferred candidate and the Secretary of State. The outcome of this inquiry will be sent to participants and published on the office's website.' Kogan, a media executive nominated as the first chair of the new football regulator in April, told MPs last month that he had made 'very small' contributions both to Nandy and Sir Keir Starmer's 2020 Labour leadership campaigns. The admission reignited the row over 'crony' appointments by the party, which was accused by the Conservatives of breaching transparency rules. Stuart Andrew, Shadow Culture Secretary, said: 'This appointment bears all the hallmarks of yet more Labour cronyism. After significant public pressure, Lisa Nandy has belatedly stepped aside from the process, a necessary move that highlights just how compromised this selection has become. 'No 10 must now come clean about the involvement of the Downing Street appointments unit and special advisers in promoting David Kogan as the preferred candidate. The public has a right to know whether this was a fair and impartial process, or yet another case of political patronage disguised as due diligence. The decision to launch an inquiry is welcome.' A DCMS spokesperson said: 'We have received the letter from the commissioner for public appointments and we look forward to cooperating fully with his office. The appointment is in the process of being ratified in the usual way.' Kogan appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport select committee on May 7 after being named by Nandy as the Government's preferred choice to lead the new body. 'I am prepared to declare now, on the public record, that five years ago I contributed very small sums of money to both the leadership campaigns of both Sir Keir Starmer and of Lisa Nandy,' he said, after reports he also donated £75,000 to Labour MPs. 'That hasn't been discovered by the press and I am happy to declare it now,' he said, insisting he had 'total personal independence from all of them', and had 'never actually been particularly close to any of the individuals to whom I have donated money'. He told MPs: 'I'm not really susceptible to any pressure, including political pressure, and the so-called ties to the Labour Party are, in fact, far less than have appeared in the public press. 'I don't believe that I have undermined that [independence] by writing books about the Labour Party, being on the LabourList board or being a donor, but clearly that's a judgment call that others may need to make, rather than myself.' Kogan added that he had 'never had a one-on-one meeting' with Starmer and had not met him since he became Prime Minister, but recognised there was 'a perception of bias'. The donations to Starmer and Nandy's leadership campaigns are understood to have been below the threshold for public declaration. A source told Telegraph Sport they were each less than £3,000. Following Kogan's select committee appearance, Louie French, the shadow sports minister, said the failure to disclose those donations publicly was 'a clear breach of the governance code on public appointments' and called for an investigation. He said: 'The decision to install David Kogan – a major Labour Party donor and former director of LabourList – as chair of the Independent Football Regulator, without disclosing his extensive personal political donations to Keir Starmer, is a serious breach of public trust. 'Fans were promised an impartial and independent regulator, but instead they are being handed a political appointee whose impartiality is already in question.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman said at the time that Kogan's appointment had been 'made as a result of fair and open competition' and run 'in accordance with the Government's code on public appointments'. The spokesman repeated that all rules had been followed when asked whether Nandy or Starmer had declared the donations from Kogan during the appointment process. He said: 'The declaration process as set out by the rules has obviously been followed. The process for appointing him to the role has been followed and will continue to be followed.' 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The Independent
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
BBC boss wants probe into ‘grinding cuts' at broadcaster
BBC Director-General Tim Davie is advocating for reforming the corporation's funding model, including re-evaluating the licence fee structure. Mr Davie stressed the importance of universal funding for the BBC and called for an investigation into the 'grinding cuts' he said the corporation has faced over the past decade. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has announced the upcoming launch of the BBC Charter review to support a sustainably funded public service and a creative industries sector plan to boost growth across the UK. The review follows a Government commitment to increase the licence fee in line with inflation until 2027. In April, the household charge rose from £169.50 to £174.50. Mr Davie also said the BBC has 'very big ambition around the media supply chain' including the 'need for muscular partnerships with the big American technology companies'.
North Wales Chronicle
12 hours ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
BBC boss supports ‘reform' to funding of broadcaster
The Government is set to launch the review of the BBC's Charter, looking at how it should be funded, after committing to increasing the licence fee in line with inflation each year until 2027. In April, there was a rise from £169.50 to £174.50 in the household charge, after years in which the licence fee was first frozen and then increased at a slower rate than the BBC expected, leaving the corporation increasingly cash-strapped amid rising inflation. At the Media and Telecoms 2025 and Beyond Conference, from Enders Analysis and Deloitte, in London on Tuesday, Mr Davie said: 'I want to justify the value that we have. I want that protected. 'I think there is reform (needed) in terms of potential (changes to the) licence fee, how progressive it is, and you'll debate the enforcement question.' He added that he does 'not want the same system' in the future, but said: 'I do want universal funding, and I want a proper investigation of begrudging, grinding cuts that we've seen over the last 10 years, which has just not helped.' Mr Davie also told the event, at Convene Sancroft in the St Paul's area, that he is concerned about the people who 'don't care' about the BBC and are 'disengaged', rather than people who criticise the corporation. He said he wants to 'celebrate the fact that people care', as the BBC features heavily on 'front pages' in the UK. Mr Davie also indicated he was positive about the use of artificial intelligence (AI), before saying the BBC has 'very big ambition around the media supply chain' including the 'need for muscular partnerships with the big American technology companies'. Later, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the event she is 'determined to find a way forward that works for the creative industry and creators' and technology companies after Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney criticised the Government's AI plans. She added that 'there are no easy solutions, but this Government is determined to work with you to find a solution with transparency and trust as its foundation'. 'We are a Labour Government, and the principle that people must be paid for their work is foundational,' the MP for Wigan added. 'And you have our word that if it doesn't work for the creative industries, it will not work for us. People are at the heart of this industry.' She also promised that the BBC Charter review will be launched 'later this year to support a BBC that is empowered to continue to deliver a vital public service funded in a sustainable way'. Ms Nandy said: 'Later this month, we'll publish a creative industries sector plan to turbo-charge the growth of creative industries right across the UK, to support film and TV clusters from Birmingham to Belfast, to tap into the huge potential of the growth that exists across our country.' She also committed to no 'new taxes' or 'levies', after calls for a levy on streaming companies to protect UK broadcasters, and said the Government wants to 'ensure that we have a regulatory framework that incentivises inward investment, that creates opportunities for businesses, both big and small'. In another session at the same conference, Kevin Lygo, managing director of ITV's media and entertainment division, spoke about the need for 'prominence' for the UK's national broadcasters amid their increased competition with streaming companies. He said: 'I think you have to go back to first principles, because all this discussion is based on the programme itself being worth watching. So I think that's the key for major broadcasters is to never lose sight of making them.' Mr Lygo also appeared to confirm that the hit ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which shone a greater spotlight on the Horizon IT scandal, is starting to become a commercial success, following multiple actors, including Toby Jones, saying that they took a pay cut to be on the show. Mr Lygo said it is 'harder and harder to find the budgets', and admitted that at first, it was difficult to explain a series 'about a computer hitch in the British Post Office' to foreign buyers. 'The UK is in this wonderful position when a show really works in the UK, everybody across the world knows about it and wants a piece of it,' he said. 'So, yes, I'm sure, I don't know exactly (the profit) by the production company, but I'm sure they've got their investment back.'
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Dramatic Shift In Commissioning' Could Be Problem For British TV Industry, Says Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy
A 'dramatic shift in TV commissioning' has seen the UK become a world leader in high-end drama while the value of smaller shows plummets, according to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. Delivering a keynote at the Deloitte Conference, Nandy said 'too many talented creatives have been left out of work' by this shift, leaving her concerned. More from Deadline Netflix EMEA Chief Puts 'Mr Bates' Debate To Bed: "We Absolutely Would Have Commissioned It In The UK" Sony's Wayne Garvie Roasts "Ridiculous" Channel 4 In-House Plan: "It Could Be Potentially Disastrous" BBC Director General Floats Concerning Vision Of Future Where "People Don't Care" About Nation's Oldest Public Broadcaster She said this has come as broadcast viewing declines by one third while streaming 'soars,' leading to a change in the content mix. 'Take, for example, the dramatic shift in TV commissioning patterns that have seen the UK become a world leader at high-end [drama] at the same time as smaller producers have seen the value of their commissions fall by one third,' she said. The 'squeezed middle' dropping out of the UK indie market was the talk of last year's Edinburgh TV Festival, although 2025 has been characterized by a scripted funding crisis driven by American co-producers pulling out of the UK. Nandy said the UK government is providing solutions, however. She flagged improvements like the recent Media Act, providing a 'more sustainable settlement for PSBs so they continue to invest in high quality original content,' she said. While she pointed to smaller commissions declining, she flagged later in her speech that cheaper fare like Come Dine With Me and 'everything in between' are selling just as well as big high-end dramas like Doctor Who and Bridgerton around the world. Possibly nodding to the UK government's refusal to impose a levy on the streamers, Nandy said she wants a 'sustainable ecosystem' for both PSBs and streamers across the UK. 'We won't penalize you through taxes and levies but ensure we have a regulatory framework that creates opportunities for business both big and small and for UK talent to be showcased across the world,' added Nandy. Nandy was speaking at the Deloitte and Enders Media & Telecoms 2025 and Beyond Conference just prior to BBC boss Tim Davie and Netflix EMEA chief Larry Tanz. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More Everything We Know About 'Happy Gilmore 2' So Far
