Ministers have branded Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as “weak” for his handling of Lisa Nandy’s rules breach over appointing a Labour donor as chair of the independent football regulator.

The Culture Secretary issued a grovelling apology after she was found to have inadvertently broken the rules by appointing David Kogan to the role.

Mr Kogan had been appointed to the role in May, just a few short years after he donated £2,900 directly to Ms Nandy’s 2020 leadership campaign.

“I deeply regret this error. I appreciate the perception it could create, but it was not deliberate and I apologise for it,” Ms Nandy wrote in her 552-word letter to the Prime Minister.

“I welcome the clear recognition that I did not know about two donations I received as a leadership candidate in 2020, when I was a backbench opposition MP, and that as soon as I discovered these donations existed, I chose to declare them and recuse myself from the process,” she penned.

Responding to Ms Nandy’s letter, the Prime Minister said: “I note the Commissioner’s findings that the error was unknowing and I accept your assurance there was no intentional or deliberate action on your part to undermine the expectations set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

“I know you to be a person of integrity, and on the basis of your letter, it is clear you have acted in good faith,” he added.

Sir Laurie Magnus, Sir Keir’s ethics adviser, is understood to have declined to investigate Ms Nandy, with sources suggesting he felt her apology was sufficient.

Despite the Prime Minister’s pledge to improve standards on conflict of interest following the scandal, a number of ministers were dissatisfied with his response.

One minister noted that Ms Nandy should not have been allowed to “escape so lightly” from the scandal.

Another hit out at the Prime Minister directly for his acceptance of the Culture Secretary’s apology.

“The only reason he’s not applying the same standards as he has to others is because he’s weak, and knows it,” they said, per The Times.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Woman in critical condition after getting stabbed in neck in ‘unprovoked attack’
• Ryanair refuses to refund flight for Huntingdon train attack hero
• Migrants could be forced to repay ‘whole cost’ of hefty asylum and hotel fees

In her letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Nandy stressed the accidental rule break did not dispute Mr Kogan’s suitability for the role.

“His appointment has been widely and warmly welcomed and endorsed by the cross-party Select Committee, who I personally ensured were aware of these donations before they came to this conclusion,” she said.

“The challenges faced by Sheffield Wednesday and other clubs demonstrate the urgency of his work.

“I am delighted that the Government has been able to appoint such an outstanding candidate and remain determined to ensure nothing is allowed to prevent this Government from delivering on our mission to put football fans back at the heart of the game, where they belong,” the Culture Secretary added.

Mr Kogan was originally approached about the football regulator job by the Conservatives while they were still in office and has advised the Premier League, EFL (English Football League) and other leagues on broadcast rights.

He has also donated thousands of pounds to Labour MPs and candidates in recent years and sat on the board of Labour news website LabourList.

Mr Kogan said: “I have co-operated fully throughout the investigation and can now draw a line under the process.

“As the commissioner states, my suitability for the role has never been in question and at no point was I aware of any deviation from best practice.”

Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter