MPs call for law to punish people going to football without tickets after Wembley 2021 breach
MPs are calling for a specific law to punish people who enter football stadia without tickets.
The House of Commons’ Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee has made the recommendation following the unrest seen at the finals of Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium.
Following the match between England and Italy in July 2021 after COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted, it was estimated that 2,000 fans stormed Wembley without tickets.
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2021: How the Wembley breach happened
Dame Louise Casey’s review from the time found “a horde of 6,000 or more ticketless fans, many of whom were no more than mindless thugs” tried to gain entry – and some could have been killed.
Now, MPs on the CMS committee want action taken to prevent such scenes from taking place again.
The committee’s chair, Dame Caroline Dineage – who will be speaking to Sky News at around 8am this morning – said: “Tailgating and other forms of unauthorised entry into grounds are an increasing problem at high-profile matches, putting safety at risk from overcrowding.
“Those involved should know that they will face consequences and the government should back legislation to ensure they can be banned.”
The committee wants the government to back a bill proposed by Labour MP Kevin Brennan – the Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Bill – which is due for a provisional vote in the house in February.
As well as the creation of new laws, the report released today also calls for expanded trials on safe standing, police and clubs to take the use of Class A drugs at sports events more seriously, steps to monitor and tackle anti-social behaviour and discrimination, and for measures to ensure stadia are accessible to all.
It also calls for the creation of guidelines on the role of stewards – as well as calling for an “appropriate wage” to be set.
The CMS committee’s review also looked into the 2022 Champions League final in Paris, where Liverpool fans were refused entry to the stadium despite having tickets for the match.
Rather than fan behaviour being at fault, this was found to be due to the actions of police and match organisers.
The committee described the treatment of Liverpool fans by French authorities as “disgraceful”, with the approach worsened by attempts to blame the fans for the disruption.
MPs added that the attitude of foreign police forces towards British fans was a significant factor.
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Dame Caroline said: “At big games in Europe, too often the attitude of foreign police to British fans leads to unacceptable treatment of innocent supporters.
“The government needs to work with overseas counterparts to bolster the role of British police travelling with teams and collaboration with local forces.”
Politics
Wes Streeting ‘crossed the line’ by opposing assisted dying in public, says Labour peer Harriet Harman
Wes Streeting “crossed the line” by opposing assisted dying in public and the argument shouldn’t “come down to resources”, a Labour peer has said.
Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harriet Harman criticised the health secretary for revealing how he is going to vote on the matter when it comes before parliament later this month.
MPs are being given a free vote, meaning they can side with their conscience and not party lines, so the government is supposed to be staying neutral.
But Mr Streeting has made clear he will vote against legalising assisted dying, citing concerns end-of-life care is not good enough for people to make an informed choice, and that some could feel pressured into the decision to save the NHS money.
He has also ordered a review into the potential costs of changing the law, warning it could come at the expense of other NHS services if implemented.
Baroness Harman said Mr Streeting has “crossed the line in two ways”.
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“He should not have said how he was going to vote, because that breaches neutrality and sends a signal,” she said.
“And secondly… he’s said the problem is that it will cost money to bring in an assisted dying measure, and therefore he will have to cut other services.
“But paradoxically, he also said it would be a slippery slope because people will be forced to bring about their own death in order to save the NHS money. Well, it can’t be doing both things.
“It can’t be both costing the NHS money and saving the NHS money.”
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Review into assisted dying costs
Baroness Harman said the argument “should not come down to resources” as it is a “huge moral issue” affecting “only a tiny number of people”.
She added that people should not mistake Mr Streeting for being “a kind of proxy for Keir Starmer”.
“The government is genuinely neutral and all of those backbenchers, they can vote whichever way they want,” she added.
Read more on this story:
‘Fix care before assisted dying legislation’
Why assisted dying is controversial – and where it’s already legal
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously expressed support for assisted dying, but it is not clear how he intends to vote on the issue or if he will make his decision public ahead of time.
The cabinet has varying views on the topic, with the likes of Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood siding with Mr Streeting in her opposition but Energy Secretary Ed Miliband being for it.
Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband is said to support the bill. Pic: Reuters
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has concerns. Pic: Reuters
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The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is being championed by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater, who wants to give people with six months left to live the choice to end their lives.
Under her proposals, two independent doctors must confirm a patient is eligible for assisted dying and a High Court judge must give their approval.
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Labour MP Kim Leadbeater discusses End of Life Bill
The bill will also include punishments of up to 14 years in prison for those who break the law, including coercing someone into ending their own life.
MPs will debate and vote on the legislation on 29 November, in what will be the first Commons vote on assisted dying since 2015, when the proposal was defeated.
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