The Labor government is set to press ahead with introducing a regulator for English football, with a new bill likely to be brought before parliament next month.
Ministers are resuming discussions with gambling stakeholders this week and the intention is to move quickly to introduce legislation, sources told The Guardian.
The conservative government had started the process to adopt a bill, but it was put on hold due to the summer's general election, and it is understood that the Labor Party will introduce its own bill, which could be introduced in the House of Lords first.
Although some details will differ and there remains a wide diversity of opinion on key issues such as the supporting powers available to the regulator to enforce financial distribution across the football pyramid, the scope of the regulator's mandate is expected to remain being the same.
In its election manifesto, the Labor Party outlined its approach to the regulator. “We will reform football governance to protect football clubs in our communities and give fans a greater say in how they are run,” the party said. “We will introduce a Football Governance Bill, which will establish an independent regulator to ensure the financial sustainability of football clubs in England. “We will never allow a closed league of select clubs to be diverted from the pyramid of English football.”
The bill was announced in the king's speech and was expected to become law during the course of this parliament. However, the suggestion that the government is willing to act quickly suggests it has accepted their proposals. Back and forth lobbying over the content of the bill has been a constant feature and the first division He has strongly opposed many of the regulator's aspects, warning against “slippage” in its responsibilities and arguing that inadvertent consequences could harm the success of the English top flight.
the english soccer league He has been a consistent supporter of regulation, pointing out the financial risks many of his clubs face. This is a sentiment shared by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan.
“It was a central part of our manifesto and it will be an essential part of my job to deliver on it and deliver on it without delay,” Nandy said at the time of the king's speech.
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has been contacted for comment.