Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will "put out there everything that I have done" with Manchester City during his time as mayor of Greater Manchester. The Premier League side have just been found guilty of breaching financial rules by an independent commission during a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. During that time they became one of the country's dominant forces, with calls now to strip them of their titles.
Challenge from Badenoch
Their success came when Burnham was in a position of influence. After being challenged by Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch to publish "everything" in his relations to his dealings with the club, he has vowed to do so. Speaking on the Rest is Politics podcast, due to be released tomorrow, Burnham said "the football issues are different from the investment issues".
He went on to say: "I see now people trying to conflate these things. 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. 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."
Investment Praise and Clarification
The Prime Minister raised eyebrows recently when he said he'd be "really concerned" if the club's Abu Dhabi owners left the club in light of the verdict. He declared them a "huge partner in the building of modern Manchester". No 10 did seek to clarify his comments, saying Burnham was clear the judgement was serious and that where wrongdoing was established, those responsible should face the consequences.
Appeal and On-Pitch Response
City continue to maintain their innocence and have appealed the decision. On Sunday they secured a statement 3-0 win at Liverpool in their first game since their guilty verdict was announced. The win kept them on top of the Premier League.
