Prime Minister Andy Burnham promises to publish records of meetings with Manchester City owners
Pressure mounts on the Prime Minister
Burnham faced severe backlash after stating he would be concerned if Manchester City's Abu Dhabi owners sold the club. An independent commission recently found that Manchester City had broken rules over a nine-year period, using sham contracts to secretly funnel more than £830 million into their football operations.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch subsequently urged him to publish everything related to his previous mayoral work with the club. Burnham was pictured with Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak during his mayoral tenure, prompting demands for absolute transparency regarding their relationship.
Burnham promises full transparency on meetings
Speaking to The Rest Is Politics podcast, Burnham confirmed he will disclose the requested information. He stated: "I've been asked by the leader of the opposition to publish details of my meetings, which I'm happy to do. I will quite clearly put out there everything that I have done working with them in my previous role as mayor of Greater Manchester. None of it is recent, actually, in terms of the meetings I had. I only had one significant meeting, actually, and that was in 2021. That is right and I will put that all out there."
Distinguishing football issues from regional investment
Burnham remains adamant that securing Gulf investment for Greater Manchester is completely different from the cheating scandal currently engulfing English football. He clarified his stance during the podcast interview, adding: "But the football issues, they are serious and have to be dealt with, and the process is independent and it has to run its course. But I think everybody should separate the investment issues because they're not the same thing."
Meanwhile, Man City, who have maintained their innocence, returned to action on Sunday by beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield.
What happens next for Man City?
As Burnham prepares to publish his meeting records on Monday, political and diplomatic tensions remain high. Man City have lodged a formal appeal against the guilty verdict, which will now go before a separate independent appeal board. Until the severe punishments are officially confirmed, the club will continue their Premier League campaign as usual.
