Member

Like my noble friend Lady Evans of Bowes Park, I was concerned about the implications of Clause 34 for incumbent owners when the Bill gains Royal Assent. Noble Lords might expect me to have alighted on the case of Newcastle United. As was powerfully set out by my noble friends Lord Moynihan and Lord Evans of Rainow, fans of Newcastle would be concerned by the implications that my noble friend set out in his very powerful and eloquent speech opening the debate on this group. Again, his forensic contribution underlined the problems of uncertainty and lack of specificity in the wording used in the Bill. That is something that has troubled a lot of us across the House and, indeed, has troubled the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee. I hope the Minister will respond to the specific questions he raised about what the Prime Minister might say to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia when he is in that kingdom next month about what the Bill might mean for the fund and for Newcastle United.