Sport Minister Stephanie Peacock has been forced to issue an apology to Baroness Brady and directors of Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion after suggesting that they were trying to block the introduction of a football regulator.

In a statement published today by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) today, Peacock said she had not intended to “impugn the integrity” of West Ham United vice-chair Brady, Arsenal executive vice-chair Tim Lewis and Brighton CEO Paul Barber.

It followed an opinion piece that the minister wrote last month for the Daily Mail, in which she criticised “a loud minority seeking to derail the debate, promote untruths and preserve the status quo” and proposed amendments to the Football Governance Bill that were “cynically designed to dither, delay and block its progress”. 

“On 15 January 2025, I gave an Op-Ed to the MailOnline addressing concerns about the debate concerning the Independent Football Regulator,” said Peacock.

“The focus of the Op-Ed was to set out the Government’s position on the importance of the Independent Football Regulator following criticism of the Football Governance Bill. The Op-Ed was placed alongside a story by the MailOnline containing its own assessment of the debate relating to the Independent Football Regulator.

“I would like to make clear that it was never my intention for the Op-Ed to be perceived by anybody as impugning the integrity of Baroness Brady, Mr Barber and Mr Lewis and that whatever our differences on the right approach to football regulation, I do not doubt the sincerity and honesty of their opinions or their integrity.

“I am happy to make this clear and apologise to Baroness Brady, Mr Barber and Mr Lewis for any distress caused. I am glad to be able to clarify my intentions and now wish to see an end to this matter.”

Peacock’s article came after Brady, Lewis and Barber had raised concerns about the Bill, which contains the provisions for the football regulator, in a separate piece in The Times.

In it, Brady had argued that tougher tests on football club owners might “deter responsible investment and could create litigation” while Barber warned that the cost of the new regulator could hit teams’ budgets for academies and women’s and girls’ football.

Peacock wrote in the Mail: “Suggestions made in the media recently around the impact of the Bill and Regulator simply don’t add up. Tenuous claims that the cost of regulation will impact things like a club’s academy development, and by default its long-term success, are simply wrong and offensive.”

It is not the first time in recent history that a serving minister has been forced into an embarrassing climbdown. Last year, Science Secretary Michelle Donelan was told to pay £15,000 for falsely suggesting an academic backed Hamas.