Journalist Mike Graham has been called out for 'beyond abhorrent' comments about Prime Minister Andy Burnham's late father. Roy Burnham died from Alzheimer's disease last month, prompting the PM to cancel engagements for two days. Burnham had spoken openly about his father's condition, including how Roy, in his mid-80s and living in a care home, was unaware of his son's appointment to Number 10. Roy was also a key political motivator for Burnham, driving his aim to reform social care.
Footage sparks outrage
The Burnham family held Roy's funeral on Friday, the same day Graham sparked outrage with so-called jokes about Roy's illness. Speaking on a panel at an event, with footage later posted on Graham's YouTube channel, the 66-year-old author began by quoting a tweet from Burnham: 'I will build the Britain my dad wanted to see.' Shrugging and pulling a confused face, he said: 'His dad doesn't even know who he is! He died. He didn't even recognise his own son. So what f***ing Britain did he want? Why would you ask a bloke with Alzheimer's, "What sort of Britain do you want?"' Acting confused, he mocked Roy's response as along the lines of, 'Uh, I don't know!' Graham then read his original reply to Burnham's tweet: 'Who f***ing cares what his dad wanted?'
Footage from the event seems to have been removed, but it soon resurfaced on social media, where horrified users blasted Graham's remarks. @LizWebsterSBF on X called the quips 'truly vile' and 'just the lowest of the low', while @Roni56248402 was appalled by the reaction in the room. 'There was a time when such vile, tasteless remarks would have been met with stunned silence from the audience, not applauded and encouraged,' they raged, claiming they 'have no respect for the dead'. @sfh300 branded Graham's behaviour 'disgusting', and @JoeKilshaw declared he should be 'nowhere near any TV or radio station going forward'.
Personal stories shared
@Roxybuchanno wrote: 'Having watched my father suffer for many years with dementia, this actually upset me. It doesn't just show a lack of empathy but also basic human decency. And the others laughing are just as bad.' @OliverKamm added: 'My mother, an eminent literary figure, had no idea who I was in the last year of her life. It was more distressing than her death. That's about as low as it gets.' @janetprice612 said they wouldn't wish the 'horrendous disease' on 'anyone', while @PippyBing called turning the illness into a 'cheap punchline' 'repulsive'.
The viral clip was also posted by Dan Hodges, a Mail on Sunday commentator whom Graham publicly clashed with several times on TalkTV and mentioned on the panel as someone who's 'gone mad'. Hodges described the footage as 'staggering', saying he was 'genuinely shocked'. He later added, 'One other thing. My understanding is this was broadcast on the day Andy Burnham attended his father's funeral', to which Graham hit back: 'DAN DAN DAN DAN DAN DAN. Stop clutching your f***ing pearls mate. When did you start working as the comedy police exactly?'
Past controversy resurfaces
Many X users also referenced a tweet Graham wrote in 2022 in response to someone who mocked dementia. In it, he shared that his own dad suffered from it before his death. 'Here's another leftie mocking dementia,' he replied. 'They're just such hypocrites aren't they? Mock away sweetie. You'll never win by being nasty. My father had dementia. Before he died. He fought for this country. Perhaps you'd like to insult him too.' @ChrisKeybats said: 'Funny that when it was close to home for you you didn't find it funny.'
Graham, former editor of the Scottish Daily Mirror and deputy editor of the Daily Express, has long been a controversial figure. In July 2022, he falsely claimed mental health charity Mind had been funding legal fees of asylum seekers, forcing TalkTV to issue an apology. A year later, the channel paid 'substantial damages' to charity Migrants Organise after Graham claimed on his show they were 'human traffickers'. In October last year, Graham was suspended from his TalkRadio show Morning Glory after a racist post was shared on his Facebook page; he denied writing it, claiming he'd been hacked, and an internal investigation was launched. In November 2025, Graham was dismissed from TalkTV amid a restructure, with News UK saying he 'reneged on several opportunities to cooperate with the company investigation'. He went on to start an independent YouTube show.
