PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Football Governance Bill (Seventh sitting) - 23 May 2024 (Commons/Public Bill Committees)
Debate Detail
Chair(s) Sir Christopher Chope, Sir Mark Hendrick, †Caroline Nokes, Mr Virendra Sharma
Members† Andrew, Stuart (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport)
Bailey, Shaun (West Bromwich West) (Con)
† Baynes, Simon (Clwyd South) (Con)
Betts, Mr Clive (Sheffield South East) (Lab)
† Byrne, Ian (Liverpool, West Derby) (Lab)
† Clarke-Smith, Brendan (Bassetlaw) (Con)
Collins, Damian (Folkestone and Hythe) (Con)
Crouch, Dame Tracey (Chatham and Aylesford) (Con)
Firth, Anna (Southend West) (Con)
† Green, Chris (Bolton West) (Con)
† Hopkins, Rachel (Luton South) (Lab)
† Millar, Robin (Aberconwy) (Con)
Mishra, Navendu (Stockport) (Lab)
† Peacock, Stephanie (Barnsley East) (Lab)
Rodda, Matt (Reading East) (Lab)
† Smith, Jeff (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)
† Wood, Mike (Lord Commissioner of His Majesty's Treasury)
ClerksKevin Maddison, Kevin Candy, Chris Watson, Committee Clerks
† attended the Committee
Public Bill CommitteeThursday 23 May 2024
[Caroline Nokes in the Chair]
Football Governance Bill
Ordered,
That the Order of the Committee of 14 May 2024 be varied by the omission from paragraph 1(d) of the words “and 2.00 pm”. —(Mike Wood.)
I understand that the Whip wishes to move the Adjournment.
I beg to move, That further consideration of the Bill be now adjourned.
I thank those who supported my hon. Friend in that work, not least the Football Supporters’ Association, Kevin Miles and everyone who spent hours and hours listening to evidence. That helped us to produce initially the White Paper and eventually the Bill.
I pay tribute to the officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. When I was first appointed as sports Minister, most of my friends laughed, but the Department’s officials have managed to make me understand more about football than I ever thought I would. They have been phenomenal at making sure that the Bill has been drafted as it is. I am incredibly grateful to them.
I thank the hon. Member for Barnsley East, who has been constructive throughout the whole process. I have really appreciated it.
I thank all members of the Committee, and indeed colleagues across the House, for their help and support over the past few weeks. We have had positive engagement as we have tried to address the challenges and issues that needed to be dealt with. There is a Bill ready to go, so I hope that whoever wins the next election will realise that this is a good piece of legislation that is quick and easy to pick up.
I hope that whoever wins the election on 4 July will see this as a good Bill to crack on with, because it is important for the future of football and, crucially, for the future of football fans. They are the ones we have been thinking about through the whole process. They are the heart and centre of the Bill. I hope it will be taken up. I thank everybody for all their help and support.
I have a few thank yous. I thank you, Ms Nokes, and the other Members who have chaired our sittings. I thank all the officials and stakeholders who have worked so hard on the Bill. I thank the hon. Member for Chatham and Aylesford for all her work on the fan-led review; I pay her huge tribute and wish her very well as she stands down from Parliament. I would like to say a big thank you and pay tribute to the Minister. It has been a real pleasure to shadow him: he has been courteous, polite and kind throughout. He has done a really good job and will be missed.
I would like to say a big thank you to everyone in my office, and particularly to Anna Clingan. We have done three Bill Committees together. It is not the easiest thing to do in opposition. We are watching wash-up very closely. A big thanks to all the staff who have worked incredibly hard on this. The Bill is incredibly important. I end by wishing everyone the very best.
I am also grateful to the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Barnsley East, who is a fellow member of the women’s parliamentary football team. I have very fond memories of being in France with her and securing that Guinness world record. I have the medal and will shortly be packing it up with the rest of my stuff.
This is a ready-made Bill. I hope that whoever forms the next Government can take it forward. I am obviously disappointed that it has not made it, quite understandably, into the wash-up, on a technicality, but I appreciate that this is the place we work in, and them’s the rules, as they say. I am incredibly grateful for all the support across the whole House and outside the House, from all the football authorities, the fans, the organisations and the general punters—the people who just go and watch the game because they love it and it is important to them deep inside their soul.
I wish everyone who is seeking re-election a safe election, and I wish those who are not coming back to this place a very happy future. Thank you.
Question put and agreed to.
FGB 11 Premier League.
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