Ethics adviser rebukes Starmer for role in cronyism scandal

On 8 November, we reported that Lisa Nandy was the latest Labour MP to embroil themselves in a cronyism scandal. Since then, Keir Starmer has admitted he was also involved in the affair, with his ethics adviser rebuking him in response.

Will this ‘rebuke’ have actual consequences?

Of course not; it’s just another way for our political elites to give the impression of accountability without taking responsibility.

The hospitality trough

As we reported on 8 November:

Lisa Nandy did not declare that she had accepted donations from the man she picked to chair her government’s new football watchdog. This is a fact, and not something anyone is denying.

If you believe Nandy, she didn’t know David Kogan had donated to her, and the situation is just another cock up in a long line of cock ups for Starmer’s government.

If you don’t believe Nandy, it’s another cronyism scandal in a long line of cronyism scandals.

The £2,900 donation Nandy received came from a man who had made other donations to Labour. Now, it turns out Starmer was one of these beneficiaries, and he also had some involvement in the decision to hire Kogan:

🚨 BREAKING: Keir Starmer has admitted he partly signed off on the appointment of David Kogan as Chair of the Independent Football Regulator – despite taking donations from him

“This was an unfortunate error for which I express my sincere regret” pic.twitter.com/wGdSICWHM5

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) November 12, 2025

In Starmer’s letter to the ethics advisor Laurie Magnus, he notes he had recused himself from “decisions relating to the Football Governance Bill” because he “received hospitality from football clubs and the Football Association on a number of occasions”. This sums up why politicians shouldn’t be accepting hospitality from anyone. You can’t have a functioning political system when there are these ever-present questions of propriety.

Despite his recusal, Starmer confirmed to Nandy that he was “supportive” of the decision to hire Kogan in response to a note asking whether he was “content”. Given that Starmer is Nandy’s boss, it seems like the culture secretary needed the PM’s approval – approval he shouldn’t have given because he can’t keep his snout out of the hospitality trough.

Starmer admits that he and Magnus had agreed he should not be involved in the hiring process, which means he should have been fully aware of the ethical violation when he made it. Rather than taking accountability for his own actions, however, Starmer said:

I have asked my officials to carry out an internal review of the processes by which recusals are managed in No10.

We can save you some time here; the problem is that you un-recused yourself despite knowing full well that doing so violated your own ethical code – review closed.

Rebuked

In response to Starmer’s confession, Magnus rebuked him, as reported by the BBC:

Sir Keir Starmer has been rebuffed by his own ethics adviser over his role in appointing Labour donor David Kogan as England’s new football watchdog.

Sir Laurie Magnus told the prime minister it was “regrettable” he had signed off the appointment earlier this year, given Mr Kogan had donated to his 2020 campaign for the Labour leadership.

Stern stuff.

In all seriousness, how is this anything other than these same four steps over and over again?

Starmer is conducting a review into how he came to break the rules which he knew he was breaking https://t.co/redawxOOMK pic.twitter.com/CxiIXBUH0O

— Willem Moore (@willem_moore_uk) November 13, 2025

As you’d imagine, the Conservatives are absolutely scandalised by all this (much like we were scandalised by the similar Tory scandals which took place between 2010 and 2024):

Lisa Nandy broke the rules.

She hired a Labour Party donor, David Kogan.

Keir Starmer approved the hire.

They both had received cash from him.

He got a £130k part-time job, regulating football.

It’s favours over fans, cronies over clubs.

They can’t sweep it under the rug. pic.twitter.com/qjusNKorXV

— Louie French MP (@louie_french) November 12, 2025

Andrew Feinstein also commented on the affair:

Kogan is also a political donor to Starmer. The apppintment has to be rescinded. This government is corrupt & captured https://t.co/inKAwk5yGo

— Andrew Feinstein (@andrewfeinstein) November 12, 2025

Omniscandals

As we’ve reported, this is far from the only ongoing Labour scandal:

🚨NEW – With each new Epstein leak, Starmer’s decision to make Mandelson our ambassador to the US looks worse and worse

By @willem_moore_uk https://t.co/OLRZNXUPlG

— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) November 13, 2025

🚨 NEW – The housing crisis is so bad under Starmer’s administration that a charity is stepping in – @crisis_uk‘s chief exec said:

“We wouldn’t be doing this unless the wheels had come off the homelessness and housing system”

By @wrightismight https://t.co/wrMhgXM4b2

— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) November 12, 2025

Labour told voters taxes wouldn’t rise. Now half the UK believes Starmer and Reeves deceived them — and trust may be gone for good

By @willem_moore_uk https://t.co/IVYsgW4glW

— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) November 9, 2025

For more on how we ended up with such a scandalous government, we recommend The Fraud by Paul Holden.

Featured image via Rwendland (Wikimedia)