Latest news with #LizziCollinge
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Morecambe owner agrees to 'last-minute' takeover
Morecambe will begin their 2025-26 National League campaign against Boston on 9 August [Getty Images] Morecambe's owner says a deal to sell the National League club has been agreed after a "last-minute bid" came in. Shrimps owner Jason Whittingham had previously said terms had been agreed with a Panjab Warriors consortium with a deal set to be formally completed on Monday. Advertisement The club's board of directors had stepped down with the deal still to be concluded. But in a statement on Wednesday, Whittingham said an unidentified buyer had worked over the past 24 hours to pay outstanding wages as well as agreeing contracts pending the approval of a sale by the National League. "He has already started preparing documentation for the National League to give their approval for the sale and confirmed his financial support for the club this coming season, provided his takeover is approved," the statement continued. "This buyer will make their own statement shortly to introduce themselves and set out their plans for the club over the coming seasons." Advertisement Further announcements are set to follow on Thursday, the statement concluded. The announcement of the latest bidder comes after a turbulent few weeks for the club before the 2025-26 National League season, following their relegation from the English Football League last term. Morecambe's MP Lizzi Collinge said last week Whittingham's Bond Group should "get on with" the deal to sell the 105-year-old club after the Shrimps' board of directors threatened to put the club into administration if a sale was not completed. Whittingham later announced he had "started the process to dismiss the board of directors", while denying claims he was stalling on the deal. Advertisement The board later returned when a deal to sell the club to Panjab Warriors looked set to take place. That deal had been approved by the EFL in June with the group previously saying they had already paid £3.8m to Whittingham's Bond Group, alongside a separate payment of £630,000 to clear outstanding loans against the club. The group also claimed they had also loaned a further £1.7m to the club over the past 14 months to "ensure its ongoing survival". In a further statement issued on Tuesday, Panjab Warriors claimed the takeover was "seconds away from completion" despite the latest delay.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Morecambe owner agrees to 'last-minute' takeover
Morecambe's owner says a deal to sell the National League club has been agreed after a "last-minute bid" came owner Jason Whittingham had previously said terms had been agreed with a Panjab Warriors consortium with a deal set to be formally completed on club's board of directors had stepped down with the deal still to be in a statement on Wednesday, Whittingham said an unidentified buyer had worked over the past 24 hours to pay outstanding wages as well as agreeing contracts pending the approval of a sale by the National League. "He has already started preparing documentation for the National League to give their approval for the sale and confirmed his financial support for the club this coming season, provided his takeover is approved," the statement continued., external"This buyer will make their own statement shortly to introduce themselves and set out their plans for the club over the coming seasons."Further announcements are set to follow on Thursday, the statement announcement of the latest bidder comes after a turbulent few weeks for the club before the 2025-26 National League season, following their relegation from the English Football League last MP Lizzi Collinge said last week Whittingham's Bond Group should "get on with" the deal to sell the 105-year-old club after the Shrimps' board of directors threatened to put the club into administration if a sale was not later announced he had "started the process to dismiss the board of directors", while denying claims he was stalling on the board later returned when a deal to sell the club to Panjab Warriors looked set to take deal had been approved by the EFL in June with the group previously saying they had already paid £3.8m to Whittingham's Bond Group, alongside a separate payment of £630,000 to clear outstanding loans against the group also claimed they had also loaned a further £1.7m to the club over the past 14 months to "ensure its ongoing survival".In a further statement, external issued on Tuesday, Panjab Warriors claimed the takeover was "seconds away from completion" despite the latest delay.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Morecambe on edge of admin without sale, says board
Morecambe's board of directors say they will begin the process of putting the club into administration later on Tuesday if its owner does not sell the Shrimps.A protracted takeover of the club by the Panjab Warriors consortium has still not reached its conclusion, and on Friday the board alleged that owner Jason Whittingham's Bond Group Investments were "considering reneging", external on the MP Lizzi Collinge said on Monday that Bond Group should "get on with" the deal to sell the 105-year-old in a fresh board statement made on Tuesday lunchtime, the directors said an ultimatum had been issued to Whittingham as he was "again refusing to sell his shares in the club" which would result in staff wages going Radio Lancashire have again contacted Whittingham for Tuesday's statement,, external Morecambe's board said: "Because Bond Group do not have the required funds to meet the club's full payroll commitment, despite being entirely responsible for paying wages until a sale completes and aware of that responsibility and the requirement, this means that wages cannot be paid until the sale completes."Panjab Warriors do have the funds available to pay all wages, and are ready to transfer these immediately, but they are not able to do so unless the sale completes and they are the owners."As a result, we have had no choice but to issue an ultimatum to Jason Whittingham at 9:52am this morning, Tuesday 1st July 2025, that unless Bond Group's shares are sold to Panjab Warriors by 4pm today, the board of directors will be left with no option but to begin the process of putting the club into administration." Whittingham, who oversaw the takeover of the club in 2018, previously told BBC Radio Lancashire that he "could not wait to get out" of the then-League Two club in an interview in then the club have been relegated from the English Football League, meaning they will play in the National League next season for the first time since deal to sell the club to Panjab Warriors was approved by the English Football League earlier in Warriors said last week, external they had already paid £3.8m to Bond Group alongside a separate payment of £630,000 to clear outstanding loans against the group claimed they had also loaned a further £1.7m to the club over the past 14 months to "ensure its ongoing survival".
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Morecambe MP urges Shrimps owner to 'get on' with sale
Morecambe's MP Lizzi Collinge says the owner of the town's football club "needs to get on" with selling up after its board of directors said the Shrimps' existence was under a statement, external on Friday, the Morecambe board said owner Jason Whittingham's Bond Group appeared to be "considering reneging" on a deal to sell the club to the Panjab Warriors also said the Bond Group was "attempting to engage with alternative buyers", in addition to failing to provide the funds required to meet June's deal to sell the club to Panjab Warriors was approved by the English Football League earlier in to BBC Radio Lancashire, Morecambe and Lunesdale MP Collinge said she hopes the upcoming Football Governance Bill - which is passing through Parliament after being reintroduced by the government - will avoid similar situations in future."They [Bond Group] need to get on with it," the Labour MP said."We really need to get this legislation in place. We need a proper fit and proper owners' test so this can't happen again."They're messing the community and fans around and the fact that people haven't been paid is absolutely outrageous."Bond Group Investments, who took over in 2018, have been asked to comment by BBC Radio Lancashire. Whittingham previously told BBC Radio Lancashire that he "could not wait to get out" of the then-League Two club in an interview in January, with a takeover by Panjab Warriors still to take then the club have been relegated from the English Football League, meaning they will play in the National League next season for the first time since a separate statement,, external Panjab Warriors said they had already paid £3.8m to Bond Group alongside a separate payment of £630,000 to clear outstanding loans against the group claimed they had also loaned a further £1.7m to the club over the past 14 months to "ensure its ongoing survival".Tarnia Elsworth, chair of the Shrimps Trust supporters' group, said the drawn-out takeover process is having an effect on the wider community."The fact of the matter is there's a chap sat in Essex who's got the power over our community," she told BBC Radio Lancashire."People need him to be able to pay their mortgages, for school trips, to feed their children."This comes down to a governance issue that this man should not be allowed to do this to our community."
The Independent
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Abortion decriminalised in the UK after historic vote
MPs in England and Wales voted 379 to 137 to decriminalise abortion, marking a significant shift in reproductive rights. The reform aims to protect women from investigation, arrest, prosecution, or imprisonment related to their own pregnancies, while maintaining penalties for abusive partners or medical professionals. The vote follows arguments that the UK 's existing abortion law was outdated and increasingly used against vulnerable women, with concerns raised about cases of women being investigated even after miscarriages. Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi highlighted that police had investigated over 100 women for suspected illegal abortions in the past five years, describing such cases as a "travesty". While Labour MP Lizzi Collinge argued the change would protect women from "brutal investigations", Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh and DUP MP Carla Lockhart opposed the reforms, raising concerns about sex-selective abortion and the rights of unborn children.
