Andy Burnham had two hospitality dinners with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak while serving as mayor of Greater Manchester, it has emerged. The PM dined with Al Mubarak at matches in 2017 and 2018, details that were not included in a statement by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) on Monday about his meetings with the club.
Burnham has faced pressure to clarify his past discussions with Man City since the club was found guilty of having "systematically" broken Premier League rules, a verdict it will appeal. He sparked controversy last month when he said he would be "really concerned" if the club's owners now sold up. The GMCA statement said he had a formal meeting with Al Mubarak in October 2021 at the UK Government's Global Investment Summit and met the chairman "informally in the stands" at a 2019 testimonial match for Vincent Kompany.
A previous GMCA register of declarations, seen by the BBC, listed a £300 dinner with then-council leader Richard Leese and the Man City chairman at an Everton match in August 2017, and a dinner worth approximately £699 at the Manchester derby in April 2018. Burnham also declared a £150 pair of tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert at the stadium in May 2018. That register has since been deleted from the GMCA website.
Downing Street has defended the dinners as hospitality received at declared home games rather than separate meetings. Opposition politicians, including Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, have demanded full disclosure, and Burnham said he was "happy" for everything to be set out in full.
Source: BBC Sport Football · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing