What new Labour government means for Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Man Utd and other Premier League rivals

In a summer that has so far been dominated by the Premier League manager merry-go-round, Euro 2024 and the transfer window, it's been impossible to escape football. This week, however, the country's attention has been gripped by the General Election.

The Labour Party have romped to a landslide victory in the polls with Sir Kier Starmer set to take over from Rishi Sunak as prime minister. Labour have currently won 412 seats, comfortably above the 326 needed for a majority, with the Tories claiming just 121.

While any impact that the general election has on football may be nuanced and long-term, but there is no denying the growing influence that politics has on the sport. LondonWorld looks at what clubs in the capital, including Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as others in the UK can look out for.

Football Governance Bill

The most obvious area of focus will no doubt come in the Football Governance Bill, which was introduced by the Tory government but supported by both parties. The bill looks to protect the longevity of the sport and the country's clubs.

Part of that is to create an independent regulator to oversee financial ongoings across the country's leagues. The bill was brought before MPs in March this year but parliament did not have time to complete its progress into law when the election was caused, meaning it will now be a Labour responsibility.

Sir Keir Starmer, who is an Arsenal fan, is likely to pick up where the Tories left off on this. Part of the Labour manifesto includes to 'establish an independent regulator'.

A statement from the Football Supporters' Association today read: "Labour’s manifesto committed to making Britain the best place in the world to be a football fan AND to an independent football regulator. The previous Football Governance Bill had cross-party support and it is low-hanging fruit for a new sports minister who can protect our clubs and give supporters a bigger voice.

"We’ll work with MPs across the political spectrum to make the Bill as strong as possible and get it across the line once and for all. Let’s get it done."

State ownership

Jon Tonge, a Bury fan and politics professor at the University of Liverpool, told Sky News that, no matter the government, the bill would not address state ownership. That is a hot topic in the Premier League with the UAE's purchase of Manchester City in 2008 and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund's takeover of Newcastle United in 2021.

Tonge said: "State ownership is not going to disappear, it's actually likely to increase. I think Labour would be reluctant to ban it, first of all because the horse has already bolted - if you've allowed it for one, how could you stop others following suit?"

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Transfer levy

The Labour government could also consider a 10% transfer levy now elected.

The levy was recommended in a 2021 fan-led review but not taken up by the Conservatives. However, when asked about the levy on a visit to Bristol Rovers, shadow culture and sport secretary Thangam Debbonaire said: “I’m going to look at everything again that was in Tracey Crouch’s fan-led review.”

The 10% levy would likely apply on deals struck between Premier League clubs and transfers between the top flight and overseas clubs. The money raised would then be invested in the football pyramid.

Ms Debbonaire told reporters at the Memorial Stadium: “A club like this, it’s not the wealthiest club in the world, and it wants to be able to invest in infrastructure. It wants to be able to make sure that facilities are good for the future. That does take money, so I’m going to look at absolutely everything that might help increase the financial sustainability.”

European Super League

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were all part of the six English clubs that tried to form a European Super League in 2021, which was met with huge public backlash.

That was subsequently scrapped and in its manifesto, Labour made it clear that it would work to block any such deal. The manifesto said that “we will never allow a closed league of select clubs to be siphoned off from the English football pyramid”.

Sir Keir himself also added: “In the face of continued threats of breakaways from some European clubs, we have to do this. On my watch, there will be no Super League-style breakaways from English football.”