British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, is facing renewed scrutiny over two hospitality dinners hosted by Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in 2017 and 2018, when he was mayor of Greater Manchester.
The dinners, held at the Etihad Stadium in August 2017 and April 2018, were disclosed in previous records but were not specifically mentioned in a recent statement by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority detailing Burnham’s interactions with the football club, according to the BBC.
Records showed that Burnham attended a dinner with Al Mubarak and then-Manchester City Council leader Richard Leese during an Everton match in August 2017. The hospitality was valued at £300.
Another entry documented a dinner with the club chairman during the Manchester City-Manchester United derby in April 2018, valued at approximately £699. Burnham had also declared tickets worth £150 for an Ed Sheeran concert at the stadium in May 2018.
However, the register containing the declarations has since been removed from the GMCA website.
The authority reportedly publishes only declarations from the current mayoral term, although some records dating back to 2022 remain accessible despite the current term beginning in 2024.
The BBC has asked the authority to clarify its policy.
The disclosures come as Burnham faces growing pressure to explain his relationship with Manchester City following an independent commission’s findings that the club breached Premier League financial regulations.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, Burnham was asked whether anyone associated with the club had discussed the charges against it during their interactions.
“They did not raise those issues with me,” he told MPs.
Burnham said he was willing to provide a comprehensive account of his dealings with the club and had requested that the GMCA publish a statement detailing his key interactions with its owners.
“It is why I asked the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), in response to a call from the leader of the Opposition and others, to set out a full statement of my key dealings with the owners of Manchester City Football Club,” he said.
“That statement was published on Monday, and it includes the issues in the news today.”
The GMCA statement listed a formal meeting between Burnham and Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit in October 2021.
The meeting was arranged by the Department for International Trade.
It also mentioned an informal encounter between the two men in the stands during a 2019 testimonial match for former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany.
The statement further acknowledged that Burnham had attended a small number of the club’s home matches as a guest but did not specifically identify the two dinners.
Downing Street defended the hospitality arrangements, describing them as benefits received at home matches that had been declared rather than separate meetings with the club chairman.
However, opposition politicians have continued to demand greater transparency over Burnham’s dealings with the club.
Conservative shadow sports minister Louie French said Burnham had committed himself to providing a full account of his interactions with Manchester City.
“Andy Burnham promised the country and House of Commons full transparency on his dealings with Manchester City,” French said.
“This was essential after his inappropriate intervention into football.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also urged Downing Street to disclose details of meetings between Burnham and senior Manchester City officials.
Speaking on The Rest Is Politics podcast last week, Burnham said he was prepared to make details of his interactions with the club public.
“I’ve been asked by the leader of the opposition to publish details of my meetings, which I’m happy to do and I’m going to,” he said.
He added that he had held only one significant meeting with the club, in 2021.
The controversy follows an independent commission’s finding that Manchester City breached Premier League financial regulations over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.
The commission found that the club had used what it described as “sham” contracts with commercial partners to channel more than £830m into its football operations.
Manchester City has denied wrongdoing and appealed the findings, with sanctions yet to be announced.
Earlier this month, former Manchester City Council leader Richard Leese defended a decade-old agreement between the council and Abu Dhabi United Group, the company linked to the club’s owners.
A University of Sheffield report said land had been leased to ADUG at rates below comparable market levels.
The latest disclosures have intensified calls for greater transparency over the relationship between public officials and Manchester City’s ownership, particularly concerning meetings, hospitality and other dealings with the club.
