Kemi Badenoch has called on Andy Burnham to publish “everything” relating to his dealings with Manchester City, after the Prime Minister intervened to defend the football club's owners. It comes after City were found guilty of more than 100 charges.
Guilty verdict on financial breaches
Manchester City was found guilty last week of charges relating to alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. According to the Premier League, an independent commission concluded that the club had arranged “sham” commercial agreements with several sponsors during the period.
The commission found that the arrangements formed part of a disguised funding scheme, under which the companies involved paid only part of the relevant sponsorship fees. It concluded that the remaining money was provided by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, which was the club's majority owner. Manchester City has appealed against the guilty verdict.
Burnham's comments under fire
The Conservative Party leader said “transparency is essential” and criticised Mr Burnham for comments he made after Manchester City was found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. Mr Burnham, the Labour leader and former mayor of Greater Manchester, said last week that he would be “really concerned” if City's Abu Dhabi owners decided to sell the club.
He praised the owners for being “a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester”. Mr Burnham also compared City's case with the disciplinary action previously taken against Everton, the club he supports. His comments attracted criticism, prompting Downing Street to stress that the verdict against Manchester City was “serious”.
Badenoch demands full disclosure
Speaking to broadcasters during the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Tuesday, Mrs Badenoch was asked whether Mr Burnham should publish details of meetings he had with Manchester City representatives while serving as Greater Manchester mayor. She told GB News: “He should. I’m surprised he hasn’t done that already.” Asked what should be made public, Mrs Badenoch said: “Everything… Otherwise what’s being hidden?
“I think that the comments he made showed that he still thinks he is the mayor of Manchester. He is not acting like the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.”
She also addressed the issue in an interview with the BBC, saying: “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.
“Andy Burnham is someone who says that he wants to be straight with people. 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 government should not be getting involved in football and tinkering with it. Let the fans and the clubs run themselves properly.”
