I was saddened this week to see the relegation of Derby County Football Club confirmed. The players, and their manager Wayne Rooney, have shown remarkable spirit and a huge amount of talent this season in incredibly difficult circumstances, and I pay tribute to them.
Their hard work must be the foundations of next season, where, hopefully with the full backing of new ownership as well as the unrelenting support of Rams fans, Wayne and his team can begin the process of getting DCFC back to where they belong.
This week, I joined colleagues in Parliament to show my support for implementing the recommendations of the fan-led review into football governance. This review, carried out by my colleague Tracey Crouch MP and supported by the government, recommends an independent regulator for football clubs.
It is possible that with such an independent regulator, a situation like that which has occurred at Derby County would not have taken place. I therefore called for the government to implement the recommendations from the review immediately – so that this can never happen again.
