This is the second in a series examining how the UK’s major political parties approach football policy. In this edition we have taken a look at Keir Starmer’s Labour Party, and its promise to rebuild football governance from the ground up.

A Party Rooted in the People’s Game

Under Keir Starmer, Labour’s historic connection to the national game has become policy. Labour has committed to introducing a ‘Football Governance Bill’ that would establish an independent regulator, charged with safeguarding the long-term sustainability of clubs and amplifying fans’ voices in the boardroom. The pledge echoes the fan-led review’s findings published in 2021 and responds to years of supporter frustration over financial mismanagement, sudden collapses, and ownership controversies.

As Lisa Nandy, the Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, put it at the 2025 Labour Party Conference:

“They said no one cared about women’s football. The Lionesses proved them wrong. They aren’t just winning tournaments, they’re changing the story of our country. And we are changing it with them, by insisting that girls have equal access to any facility we fund. Because girls belong on every pitch they choose to play on.”

For Nandy, the message is clear: football must reflect modern Britain; fairer, more inclusive, and open to everyone.

Labour’s plan goes beyond governance reform. The party has pledged £1 billion for major events and grassroots sport that range “from boxing in Blackpool to football in Belfast.” That funding aims to level the sporting playing field across the UK, supporting local clubs, improving facilities, and ensuring every child can access quality pitches and coaching.

It’s a deliberate contrast to what Labour sees as years of neglect under Conservative governments; the hollowing out of youth sport and the financial precarity of lower-league football. For Starmer’s team, investing in football goes far beyond winning trophies, it’s about community renewal more generally.

Alongside its forward-looking reforms, Labour has also recommitted to a long-awaited act of justice: passing the ‘Hillsborough Law’. The party’s leaders, including David Lammy and Nandy, used the 2025 conference to reaffirm their promise to enshrine the rights of victims and families in law, ensuring that the tragedies of the past are never repeated. That dual commitment, fairness in governance and accountability in justice, forms the backbone of Labour’s football vision.

Taken together, Labour’s proposals amount to the most comprehensive football policy platform in decades:

• A statutory independent regulator for English football.
• Fan representation and protection of club heritage.
• Equal access to facilities for girls and young players.
• Grassroots investment across all nations of the UK.
• A Hillsborough Law to safeguard truth and accountability.

Where the Liberal Democrats focus on affordability and access to broadcasts, Labour’s approach is broader, structural, moral, and community-driven.

The ambition is clear; the challenge will be execution. Reforming football’s governance is complex, and implementing equality measures in sport will require sustained funding and political will. But for many fans, Labour’s message resonates: that football’s future depends on fairness, on keeping the game in the hands of those who fill the terraces, coach junior teams, and support from the touchline.

The real concern, however, is that this encouraging sentiment may be drowned out by the widespread unpopularity currently faced by the largest party in Westminster.