Prime Minister Andy Burnham has asked Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to manually search through records of any further interactions he had with Manchester City while he was mayor. The request follows intense scrutiny over his relations with the football club, which has been found guilty of breaking financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
Previous statement and missing records
On Monday, the GMCA published a statement saying Mr Burnham had a meeting in 2021 with Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, as well as attending home matches 'on a small number of occasions', and that City representatives occasionally joined him on foreign business trips. However, confusion arose when it emerged that records of two dinners Burnham had with Man City's chairman had been deleted.
Speaking to broadcasters on Thursday morning, Mr Burnham said Monday's statement 'referenced meetings and hospitality at Manchester City' when he was there 'as a guest', adding: "So it did mention [the dinners]' in 2017 and 2018.
Call for full transparency
He said the statement was 'not prepared by me', but issued by the GMCA. He added: "It was comprehensive. I've asked them to do a more manual trawl of everything because I want everything possible to be out there. There's no question about that. Full transparency."
A statement issued by the GMCA on Monday referenced a meeting Mr Burnham had 'informally' with Al Mubarak in the stands at a 2019 match, as well as a formal meeting between the two at the UK Government's Global Investment Summit in October 2021, but did not specify the two dinners. As mayor, Mr Burnham previously declared the dinners from Man City, valued at a combined total of £1,000 for hospitality.
Reaction to guilty finding
The prime minister was criticised for saying he would be 'really concerned' if City’s Abu Dhabi owners sold the club in the wake of the guilty finding, crediting them with being 'a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester'. Downing Street sought to clarify his comments afterwards, saying Mr Burnham was clear the judgment is serious and that wherever wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the consequences.
