Treasury ignored DCMS gambling tax hike concerns before Budget raid March 6, 2026 Whitehall raised questions about the amount of money a gambling levy could raise before Chancellor Rachel Reeves pushed ahead with tax hikes in the Autumn Budget. A Freedom of Information request seen by City AM shows analysis by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in response to proposals by the Social Market Foundation and [...]
Exclusive: Parliament must scrutinise Prem Rugby franchise plans, MP says January 27, 2026 The government has been called upon to scrutinise Prem Rugby’s franchise plan, which promises to be the biggest shake-up of the domestic game since professionalisation. It comes as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also accused of passing the buck over Covid loans to English professional rugby. Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello told [...]
Football regulator to investigate bad club owners from next week December 5, 2025 Time is ticking for poor football owners as the Independent Football Regulator will be able to investigate unsuitable club bosses from next week. The Independent Football Regulator was set up following the passing of the Football Governance Bill in Parliament earlier this year, with Richard Monks and David Kogan tasked with being chief executive and [...]
Basketball England pauses CEO search amid fallout from BBF liquidation November 19, 2025 The aftershocks of the British Basketball Federation’s slide into liquidation continue to be felt across the game, with Basketball England forced to suspend its appointment of a new CEO. The English governing body, whose main roles are increasing participation and talent identification, is set to take on many of the BBF’s functions following its demise [...]
Fans support Independent Football Regulator but unsure on remit November 19, 2025 The majority of fans back the new Independent Football Regulator but are divided on its remit, a new study has shown. Sport’s latest quango, the Independent Football Regulator, is up and running with a remit to make the English game more sustainable. Early plans suggest the regulator could have the power to force the sale [...]
Official: British Basketball Federation goes into liquidation, GBBL assessing legal options November 14, 2025 The British Basketball Federation has gone into liquidation, blaming “a significant and unanticipated reduction in income and unforeseen expenditure”. The BBF said it had been unable to meet its liabilities and had appointed insolvency firm Begbies Traynor to assist in placing it in liquidation. It follows a damaging legal battle with Super League Basketball over [...]
It’s time for BBC Sport to ditch the corporation and go it alone November 13, 2025 The BBC lurches from existential crisis to existential crisis, and yet fundamental questions about its remit and structure are rarely addressed during the frenzied bouts of self-flagellation that Britain’s public broadcaster indulges in at times such as these. Although its latest crisis – widely described as its greatest since the last greatest one – has [...]
Exclusive: Leicester Tigers and DCMS face scrutiny over £6m Covid loan renegotiation November 5, 2025 Leicester Tigers and DCMS are facing questions after they altered the repayment terms of the club’s £6m Covid-19 loan to interest-only until 2028. The change, which only emerged in the Prem Rugby club’s most recent financial accounts, casts further doubt on DCMS’s chances of recouping its £474m lending to sporting and cultural bodies – raising [...]
Former FCA and EY bigwig named football regulator chief executive October 7, 2025 Former FCA and EY bigwig Richard Monks has been named chief executive of the Independent Football Regulator. The appointment of the former Big Four partner comes after confirmation of media rights advisor David Kogan being named chairman. Monks is the first executive appointment made by the Independent Football Regulator after the Football Governance Bill passed [...]
David Kogan: Chair of football regulator appointed despite ongoing inquiry October 6, 2025 Media rights advisor David Kogan OBE has been confirmed as the first chair of the Independent Football Regulator despite an inquiry into his appointment remaining ongoing. Kogan was named preferred candidate by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport earlier this year but questions about his suitability were raised after he revealed he had donated [...]