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There was no conflict of interest in the incoming football regulator chair donating to Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour leadership campaign, Downing Street has said.
Appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Wednesday, David Kogan admitted he had donated “very small sums of money” to the leadership bids of Sir Keir and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in 2020.
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Mr Kogan told the pre-appointment hearing this hadn’t been discovered by the media, but he was “happy to declare it now”.
The media executive was nominated as chairman of the Independent Football Regulator last month, having initially been approached by the previous Conservative government.
Mr Kogan insisted he had “total personal independence from all of them”, saying he had “never actually been particularly close to any of the individuals to whom I have donated money”.
Louie French, the shadow minister for sport, has suggested there was a “potential breach of the Governance Code on Public Appointments” on this matter, saying it “must urgently be investigated”.
Mr French later told the Commons that Labour’s decision not to disclose these donations when Mr Kogan’s appointment was announced “represents a clear discourtesy to both this House and the DCMS select committee”.
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