People want answers over the prime minister’s links to scandal-hit football club Manchester City.
Andy Burnham is facing growing pressures to reveal all his links to scandal-hit football club Manchester City (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham is facing growing scrutiny over his links to Manchester City after the club were found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. The club was accused of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018 and was found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges. BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent reported on the prime minister’s ties to the scandal-hit club, revealing he received hospitality tickets to two games. The former mayor of Greater Manchester had access to a luxury hospitality suite in the Etihad Stadium, joined twice by Al Mubarak.
However, she noted these details were not included in a statement released by a GMCA spokesman earlier this week.
“It has emerged that Andy Burnham received hospitality at two Manchester City home games that were not included in a statement released earlier this week,” she told viewers.
“The matches included dinners in which the club chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, was present.”
Speaking to political correspondent Iain Watson, Sally acknowledged that the Labour leader is facing “more scrutiny over his dealings with Manchester City”.
Iain acknowledged that the prime minister has faced growing scrutiny because of his links to the club when he was the mayor of Greater Manchester, adding that the owners of the club were big investors in Manchester as a whole.
Sally Nugent shared further details of Burnham’s links to the disgraced club (Image: BBC)
“Andy Burnham said he would publish any of his dealings with Manchester City. Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which he was mayor of, put out some details on Monday,” Iain explained.
“They said he met the club chairman informally in the stands in 2019 and there had been a more significant meeting in 2021. But then they said, ‘In his capacity as mayor, he was a guest at Manchester Football Club at home matches on a small number of occasions, but there was no further detail.”
“The Sun has found that further detail and that included two dinners in 2017 and 2018 with the club chairman at those home games.”
Iain highlighted that critics are describing it as a cover-up, but said the prime minister did formally declare the meetings.
“He gave details of this during his first time as Greater Manchester mayor, but those declarations disappeared from the website because they claimed they don’t continue to put up those details when the mayor serves a second term,” he added.
While Iain argued there is no suggestion of wrongdoing at this stage, there is a huge question of transparency and whether Burnham is being honest with the public about his ties to the club.
Last month, Burnham said he would be “really concerned” if City’s Abu Dhabi owners sold the club in the wake of the findings, crediting them with being “a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester”.
Downing Street clarified his comments afterwards, saying the prime minister was clear the judgment is serious and that where wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the consequences.