Culture and Sport Legislation
Legislative framework governing cultural institutions, media broadcasting, sports regulation, arts funding, and heritage protection.
The Public Interest Merger Reference (Telegraph Media Group Holdings Limited) (Pre-emptive Action) Order 2026
This Statutory Instrument, made by the Secretary of State under the Enterprise Act 2002, prevents the parties involved in the proposed acquisition of Telegraph Media Group Holdings Limited by Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) from taking 'pre-emptive action' while a public interest intervention notice remains in force; the Order mandates that the Telegraph Media Group Holdings business must be carried on separately, maintaining its operational status, editorial independence, key staff, and market position until the review period concludes.
The Enterprise Act 2002 (Mergers Involving Newspaper Enterprises and Foreign Powers) (No. 2) Regulations 2025
These Regulations amend Part 1A of Schedule 6B to the Enterprise Act 2002, establishing specific conditions under which a foreign power that controls or influences a newspaper owner via a state-owned investor is exempt from merger control prohibitions.
The amendments replace previous conditions by requiring state-owned investors holding directly between 5% and 15% of shares or voting rights in a newspaper owner to issue a qualifying notification to the Secretary of State and publish specified information online within 14 days of acquisition to qualify for the exception, while also limiting the total aggregate holding by state-owned investors across all foreign powers to 15%.
The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates and Accounts) (Amendment) Order 2025
This Order, made by HM Treasury under the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000, revises the list of designated central government bodies for the purpose of calculating supply estimates and resource accounts for the financial year ending March 31, 2026.
Specifically, it substitutes the entire Schedule of the principal Order (The Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates and Accounts) Order 2025) with an updated list organized by government department, adding, renaming, or removing various public sector bodies.
The Football Governance Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2025
These Regulations officially bring into force the second set of provisions from the Football Governance Act 2025, appointing 12th December 2025 as the commencement date for many sections.
The commencement targets key areas including the suitability requirements for incumbent club owners and officers (Part 4), the investigatory powers granted to the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) (Part 7), the enforcement sanctions framework (Part 8), and the review and appeals processes (Part 9).
Certain aspects of these parts, particularly those relating to operating licences, are explicitly excluded from this commencement order.
The Public Record Office (Fees) Regulations 2025
The Public Record Office (Fees) Regulations 2025 set out the new fees chargeable by the Keeper of Public Records for providing authenticated copies, extracts, and other services related to records held at The National Archives, effective from February 2nd, 2026.
These regulations supersede the 2018 Regulations, increasing many existing fees and introducing specific new charges related to accessing 'key military service personnel documents' transferred from the Ministry of Defence, while also granting the Keeper powers to remit fees in certain circumstances, such as when no relevant records are found.
The Broadcasting (Independent Productions) Regulations 2025
These Regulations, made by the Secretary of State under the Communications Act 2003, establish key definitions and quotas governing independent audiovisual productions for UK broadcasters, coming into force on January 1st, 2026.
The rules define what constitutes an 'independent producer' and 'independent productions,' specify the minimum annual quotas—detailed in a Schedule—for public service broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 3 services, and clarify rules regarding commissioned content, production costs, and repeat counting.
Furthermore, the instrument revokes the preceding Broadcasting (Independent Productions) Order 1991 and related amendments, updating the regulatory landscape following changes introduced by the Media Act 2024.
The Broadcasting (Regional Programme-making and Original Productions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
The Broadcasting (Regional Programme-making and Original Productions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, laid before and approved by Parliament, exercise powers granted under the Communications Act 2003 to implement provisions from the Media Act 2024 concerning programme-making quotas.
These regulations primarily confer new functions upon OFCOM to determine whether previously broadcast content ("repeats") can count towards meeting the regional programme-making quotas for licensed public service channels and to regulate original production quotas for these providers, including S4C, by amending the Broadcasting (Original Productions) Order 2004 to update definitions and align regulatory requirements.
The Football Governance Act 2025 (Specified Competitions) Regulations 2025
These Regulations, made under the Football Governance Act 2025, officially designate the top five tiers of the men's English football pyramid—the Premier League, the Championship, League One, League Two, and the Premier Division of the National League—as 'specified competitions' to which the Act's provisions apply, effective from November 24, 2025, and extending to England and Wales.