Andy Burnham should "hang his head in shame" for presenting himself as "the nice guy" of British politics, according to the latest episode of the Daily Expresso podcast. The claims centre on the Prime Minister's links to Abu Dhabi and allegations that his office lobbied for a broadband deal involving a company part-owned by the United Arab Emirates.
Podcast host JJ Anisiobi said things are only getting worse for the Prime Minister amid the "scandal" surrounding his ties to Abu Dhabi. Guest James Walker told the show on Thursday that he believed Mr Burnham is "obviously in bed with the Emirates".
Allegations of lobbying for CityFibre
James pointed to the PM initially saying he only had one "significant" meeting with Abu Dhabi's ruling elite, but the latest allegation is that his office was lobbying for Abu Dhabi to be awarded a big broadband deal. He said: "In my opinion, JJ, Andy Burnham's got to hang his head in shame. He's told us all, 'Look, I'm the nice guy, alright?'
"He's told us all this whole time, 'There's nothing to look at here. Trust me, I'm not like the rest of these Westminster monsters who do all these sweetheart deals with people who give them a bit of funding here, build some houses there, maybe donate to their political campaigns'." But James said the latest bombshell allegation suggested to him that the PM has been talking "absolute tosh".
Background of scrutiny
Mr Burnham was already under fire over Manchester City's legal and financial misconduct charges from the Premier League. The PM defended the club's Abu Dhabi owners to the BBC, describing them as a "huge partner" in building modern Manchester. Critics of the PM raised concerns about foreign influence while supporters point to the regeneration of Manchester from Abu Dhabi's investments.
JJ urged Mr Burnham to "come clean" about any help offered to Abu Dhabi to secure the broadband deal and other deals across Manchester. The pair were discussing a report in the Telegraph that Mr Burnham's office when he was Mayor of Greater Manchester lobbied in favour of a merger between British firm Substantial and CityFibre, which is part-owned by the United Arab Emirates.
Political reactions and responses
Mr Burnham's political opponents have demanded to know if the PM was involved in the decision made by Greater Manchester Combined Authority to lobby the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on CityFibre's behalf. The CMA is carrying out an enquiry into the potential takeover amid concerns how much of the broadband market lies with too few firms. Rival bidder, Nexfibre, has already offered £2billion for the company.
The UAE's sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala, is one of three large shareholders in CityFibre, according to the Telegraph. The Treasury has also invested £300million of taxpayers' money into CityFibre. In October, the CMA issued an interim report saying it would prefer CityFibre's bid to succeed as a takeover from Nexfibre would decrease competition.
Shadow Sports Minister Louie French said the "revelations" raise "fresh concerns" about the PM's time as mayor of Greater Manchester and his "cosy relationship" with the owners of Manchester City. He said: "There is nothing wrong with wanting to attract investment to your city. But reports that Burnham's office lobbied regulators to approve a deal benefiting City's Chairman are concerning in the context of the PM's inappropriate interventions into football and subsequent attempts to cover up their past meetings. Burnham must come clean: What is his explanation for this lobbying? The public deserves transparency."
A GMCA spokesman said its position is led by a commitment to secure the best possible value for residents. He said the GMCA is supportive of any operators in the market who will increase competition, improve resilience and keep prices low. He added: "We believe that having at least three providers of broadband infrastructure operating in residential areas will maintain this."
A CityFibre source pointed out that two other local authorities besides Manchester had also expressed a preference for CityFibre being the successful bidder. CityFibre's spokesman said: "Our performance demonstrates the ongoing, fundamental strength of CityFibre's business and our recapitalisation process is underway, with a £900m commitment from shareholders to support M&A, substantial funding available to CityFibre and customer numbers continuing to grow across our network."
A spokesman for CityFibre's shareholders said: "CityFibre's shareholders remain committed to the company's long-term success and are engaged in supporting the next phase of growth." Downing Street has not commented on the latest claims.
