What a Labour government means for Man City and Man United after Sir Keir Starmer election

For the first time in 14 years, the UK has a Labour government.

Having swept to power in the general election on Thursday, bringing an end to Conservative rule, new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has a pretty hefty in-tray to deal with when he enters No.10. But what does a Labour government mean for football in the UK, and to what extent does it impact the changing landscape of the game that had been set out in the Football Governance Bill that was introduced by the Tory government?

The Bill had broad cross-party support, and was put before MPs back in March, but with the potential for a change in government it ran out of road for it to be passed into UK law, meaning that getting it over the line falls under the remit of the new Labour government.

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Following the collapse of Bury FC in 2019, a fan-led review into football governance became party of the Tory manifesto for that year, where recommendations were put forth following a report by Conservative MP Tracey Crouch that the game needed an independent regulator in this country.

Those calls gained wider support following the doomed attempt of six of English football’s biggest clubs; Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur, to breakaway with six teams from across Europe to form a European Super League.

That idea was emphatically rejected by football fans across Europe, and the need for reform around what owners should and shouldn’t be able to do with their clubs took on greater significance.

Across the EFL and non-league football there is a broad support for the Bill and an independent regulator, the idea being to ensure a fairer distribution of wealth over time, as well as to ensure that the right people are able to purchase clubs, and that tradition and the importance of community are kept at the very core of things.

But the Premier League, who said they would not lobby against the Bill, have made moves to that end, with Premier League CEO penning an editorial in the Times back in April in opposition of the introduction of an independent regulator, believing that over-governance will have a detrimental effect on the growth ambitions of English football’s top tier, the most watched and most popular domestic football competition on the planet.

At a time when the Premier League are facing greater regulation, other leagues in Europe are beginning to look at ways that they can close the gap on the Premier League, knowing that the Premier League will have the handbrake put on certain things that could come into play.

Spain’s La Liga has been open in its desire to take a round of competitive games to the United States in order to tap into a growing market, and Masters is fearful that an independent regulator could ward off inward investment into clubs if the potential for growth is not as great due to red tape.

According to a recent report from Deloitte, the Premier League remains the clear market leader among Europe’s big leagues, generating around €7.0bn (£5.9bn) revenue, which is over €3bn (£2.5bn) more than its closest challenger, the Bundesliga €3.8bn (£3.2bn).

Put another way, England’s top flight is over half a billion more than La Liga €3.5bn (£3bn) and Serie A €2.9bn (£2.5bn) combined.

Masters wrote: “The Football Governance Bill, published last month, will establish strict banking-style regulation for more than 100 football clubs, with rules governing liquidity, debt, overall expenditure, ownership and fan relationships.

It will give the regulator unprecedented power over the sport, including the right to determine how much money is distributed to lower-league teams by Premier League clubs. This is an arrangement that, under a voluntary system, already provides the most generous funding in world football.

“As chief executive of the Premier League, my overriding concern is that the bill would reduce our competitiveness and weaken the incredible appeal of the English game.

“Our competition is the most watched and commercially successful football league in the world. Thanks to that success, Premier League clubs are able to give away £1.6 billion every three years — 16 per cent of our total revenues — to the wider game, helping to make it the envy of the world. This special aspirational structure made it possible for Brighton & Hove Albion to this season become the 21st club during the Premier League era to rise through the EFL and play in European competition.

“There are already suggestions that the bill could be amended by those seeking a more interventionist approach, with even stronger powers for the regulator to determine how the game is run.

“We are asking MPs and peers to protect the game, including the Premier League, which not only helps sustain the football pyramid for the benefit of fans but also contributes £4 billion in annual tax revenues and creates 90,000 jobs across the country. The unintended consequences of regulation generate significant risks.

“It is a risk that regulation will undermine the Premier League’s global success, thereby wounding the goose that provides English football’s golden egg.

“It is a risk to regulate an industry that has worked so hard to lead the world, especially when none of its competitors are subject to the same regulation. Those competitors are relishing the prospect of the Premier League being uniquely constrained. Empires rise and fall — and while I am confident about the league’s immediate future, it would be a mistake to be complacent about our place as the world’s most popular league.”

One of Masters’ concerns in his editorial was that the Bill could be rushed through by the Conservatives in a bid to try and sway some voters through a demonstration of action on a manifesto pledge that carried plenty of weight in many key areas, and across demographics. But with that not happening, and with it now falling to Labour to press ahead with the plans, the Premier League may feel that have a little more time to try and make their case, and potentially have some amendments to the Bill made that may not impinge the ability to grow as