Kemi Badenoch has accused Andy Burnham of “not acting like the Prime Minister” after his intervention in support of Manchester City. The Tory leader said “transparency is essential”, urging the PM to release “everything” relating to his dealings with the under-fire football club.
Badenoch questions Burnham's transparency
In Tuesday interviews during the Conservative Party Conference, Mrs Badenoch was asked whether Mr Burnham should publish details of meetings he held as Greater Manchester mayor with anyone from Manchester City.
She said: “He should. I am surprised he has not done that already. Otherwise what’s being hidden? I think comments he made showed he still thinks he is mayor of Manchester.”
Burnham's stance on Man City
Mr Burnham said last week he would be “really concerned” if Manchester City’s Abu Dhabi owners sold the club after being found to have breached the Premier League’s financial rules by an independent commission. The PM credited the football club with being “a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester”.
Mrs Badenoch also told the BBC: "I think transparency is essential. If he's got nothing to hide, then he should open the box. He has made a big deal about what he did for Manchester, and if it turns out that the story he's told is quite different, and actually it was Abu Dhabi that was doing these things, not him, then let's hear the truth. I was very surprised at the way he waded in on this subject. You would have heard me, you know, when I became leader, saying that the government should not be getting involved in football and tinkering with it."
Man City found guilty of financial breaches
Last week Manchester City were found guilty of charges related to breaches of financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18. The Premier League said an independent commission found the club arranged "sham" commercial deals with a number of its sponsors during the period.
The club is facing potentially catastrophic punishments, including possible points deductions, relegation and being stripped of titles.
