David Kogan admitted to donating 'very small sums of money' to both Lisa Nandy and Sir Keir Starmer in 2020 Lisa Nandy has been forced to apologise to Sir Keir Starmer after appointing a Labour donor as chair of the independent football regulator. Ms Nandy, who sent a letter to the Prime Minister today, was found to have inadvertently broken the rules by appointing David Kogan to the role. Mr Kogan had been appointed to the role in May, just a couple of years after donating directly to Ms Nandy's 2020 leadership campaign. In a 552-word letter to Sir Keir Starmer, which was also sent to the Culture Select Committee chairwoman Dame Caroline Dinenage, Ms Nandy wrote: "The Commissioner’s conclusions include a finding that I unknowingly breached an aspect of the Governance Code on Public Appointments. Lisa Nandy was found to have inadvertently broken the rules by appointing David Kogan to the role "I deeply regret this error. I appreciate the perception it could create, but it was not deliberate and I apologise for it. "I welcome the clear recognition that I did not know about two donations I received as a leadership candidate in 2020, when I was a backbench opposition MP, and that as soon as I discovered these donations existed, I chose to declare them and recuse myself from the process." However, the Culture Secretary stressed the finding did not dispute Mr Kogan's suitability for the role. "His appointment has been widely and warmly welcomed and endorsed by the cross-party Select Committee, who I personally ensured were aware of these donations before they came to this conclusion," Ms Nandy added. "The challenges faced by Sheffield Wednesday and other clubs demonstrate the urgency of his work. "I am delighted that the Government has been able to appoint such an outstanding candidate and remain determined to ensure nothing is allowed to prevent this Government from delivering on our mission to put football fans back at the heart of the game, where they belong." Responding to Ms Nandy's letter, the Prime Minister said: "I note the Commissioner’s findings that the error was unknowing and I accept your assurance there was no intentional or deliberate action on your part to undermine the expectations set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. "I know you to be a person of integrity and on the basis of your letter, it is clear you have acted in good faith." In a letter to Lisa Nandy, the Prime Minister said he accepts her assurance there was 'no intentional or deliberate action' However, Sir Keir also vowed to improve standards to ensure guidance is followed when it comes to potential conflicts of interest. He added: "Nonetheless, the process followed was not entirely up to the standard expected and I welcome your Department's willingness to cooperate with the Commissioner and the Cabinet Office to learn lessons and to improve the guidance on handling conflicts of interests." Mr Kogan was originally approached about the football regulator job by the Conservatives while they were still in office, and has advised the Premier League, EFL [English Football League] and other leagues on broadcast rights. He has also donated thousands of pounds to Labour MPs and candidates in recent years and sat on the board of Labour news website LabourList. Mr Kogan said: "I have co-operated fully throughout the investigation and can now draw a line under the process. "As the commissioner states, my suitability for the role has never been in question and at no point was I aware of any deviation from best practice. Mr Kogan said 'at no point' was he aware of 'any deviation from best practice' "It is now time to move on and get on with the business of setting up the IFR [Independent Football Regulator] so we can tackle the critical and urgent issues facing football." The Tories said the decision to appoint Mr Kogan represented "a serious breach of public trust". Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston said: “This appointment bears all the hallmarks of Labour cronyism. We now know there have been three clear breaches of the process, leaving this appointment completely untenable. “If Labour is serious about integrity and transparency, this appointment must be withdrawn immediately.” Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter