Downing Street has released an exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport following the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ report into the appointment of the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator, published on 6 November 2025.
In her letter, Lisa Nandy states that the Commissioner concluded she had unknowingly breached an aspect of the Governance Code on Public Appointments. She expresses regret, apologises, and records that she removed herself from the decision-making once aware of the perception of a conflict of interest.
The Culture Secretary explains she had not known about two donations made to her 2020 leadership campaign until after the process had begun. She says she checked the Electoral Commission and Parliamentary registers and made enquiries with former campaign staff, but these steps did not surface the donations; once discovered, she declared them and recused. She copied her letter to Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, for transparency.
Responding, the Prime Minister accepts her assurance that there was no deliberate attempt to undermine the Governance Code and says he knows her to be a person of integrity. He welcomes DCMS’s commitment to work with the Commissioner and the Cabinet Office to strengthen guidance on handling conflicts of interest in public appointments.
The Prime Minister also records that the Commissioner’s report does not cast doubt on the suitability of David Kogan as Chair of the regulator. Separately, the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee endorsed Mr Kogan following a pre‑appointment hearing and asked him to demonstrate political impartiality, noting his disclosure of past donations to the Prime Minister and the Culture Secretary.
DCMS confirmed Mr Kogan’s appointment on 6 October 2025 and at that time noted an inquiry led by the Commissioner for Public Appointments was ongoing; the publication of today’s correspondence follows the release of the Commissioner’s report.
Under the Governance Code on Public Appointments, recent significant political activity must be declared and conflicts identified and managed. The Commissioner’s office notes the Code was updated in October 2025 and explains how complaints and investigations are handled under that framework.
For departments, the immediate consequences are procedural rather than personnel-related: the Culture Secretary had already stepped back from the final decision, and her department will now work with the Cabinet Office and the Commissioner to improve guidance on conflicts. The correspondence signals learning actions, not a reopened appointment.
For the regulator, government expects the appointment to stand and work to proceed. The Culture Secretary’s letter highlights pressures on clubs, citing Sheffield Wednesday, as justification for moving quickly to establish the new regime.
The IFR’s leadership is now in place, with the Chair confirmed and the first Chief Executive, Richard Monks, appointed on 7 October 2025. DCMS says the body will advance work to improve governance and financial sustainability in English football.