The Saudi Arabian-backed consortium said it has ended its bid to buy Newcastle United. The group included Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers. In April It agreed a £300m deal to buy the club from Mike Ashley. The deal was still being scrutinised under the Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test. They were seeking clarification of the links between PIF and the Saudi Arabian Government. The Premier League wanted to know who would have control, where funding would come from, and who would appoint the board.

As the Member of Parliament for Newcastle Central, and therefore St James’ Park, my colleague, Chi Onwurah MP, has taken the lead on this issue. She has my support. She has written to Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League. In her letter she has asked a number of questions and called for the Premier League to be more transparent with fans. I have included a link to the letter here for your information https://chionwurahmp.com/2020/07/newcastle-united-football-club-failed-take-over/. I await the response of the Premier League.

I support the questions Chi has asked and agree with the Newcastle United Supporters Trust that the fans deserve answers. I believe that the Premier League should have engaged with fans throughout the process and would like to see the Premier League be more transparent.

More generally, I support the case for an independent review of all aspects football governance.