UK Prime Minister under fire for undisclosed dinners with Man City chairman

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak hosted British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at two dinners in 2017 and 2018. At that time, Burnham was the mayor of Greater Manchester. This information comes from records shared by the BBC.

According to the BBC on Wednesday, the dinners took place at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in August 2017 and April 2018. These events have raised questions about Burnham’s dealings with the football club.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) released a statement on Monday. However, it did not specifically mention the hospitality arrangements. The statement included Burnham’s meetings and interactions with the club during his time as mayor.

A previous register showed that Burnham attended a dinner with Al Mubarak and the former Manchester City Council leader Richard Leese at an Everton match in August 2017. The hospitality for that dinner was valued at £300.

Another entry showed a dinner with the club chairman during the Manchester City-Manchester United derby in April 2018, which was valued at about £699. Burnham had earlier declared both dinners and also mentioned two tickets worth £150 to see Ed Sheeran perform at the stadium in May 2018.

But now, the register is no longer on the GMCA website. The BBC reported that the authority only publishes declarations from the current mayoral term. Some records from 2022 are still available online, although the current term began in 2024.

This news comes as Burnham faces more questions about his past dealings with Manchester City. An independent commission found that the club had breached Premier League financial rules.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Burnham was asked if anyone at the club had discussed the charges with him. He replied, “They did not raise those issues with me.”

Burnham said he is ready to share details about his dealings with the club. He has asked the GMCA to publish a statement outlining his key interactions with the club 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 mentioned a formal meeting between Burnham and Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit in October 2021. This meeting was arranged by the Department for International Trade. It also noted an informal meeting during a 2019 testimonial match for former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany.

The statement said Burnham had been a guest of the club at home matches a few times but did not specifically mention the two dinners.

Downing Street supported the hospitality, saying the dinners were benefits received at home matches that had been declared. They were not seen as separate meetings with the club chairman.

But opposition politicians are still calling for more transparency. Conservative shadow sports minister Louie French said Burnham promised to provide full details of his dealings with the club. “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 also urged Downing Street to release details of meetings between Burnham and senior club figures. Last week on _The Rest Is Politics_ podcast, Burnham said he is ready to publish details of his interactions with Manchester City while he was mayor. “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 only one significant meeting with the club in 2021.

This controversy follows the finding that Manchester City breached Premier League financial regulations from 2009 to 2018. The commission found that the club had used “sham” contracts with commercial partners to move more than £830m into its football operations.

Manchester City denies any wrongdoing and has appealed the findings. No sanctions have been announced yet.

Earlier this month, former Manchester City Council leader Richard Leese defended an agreement between the council and Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), linked to the club’s owners. A report from the University of Sheffield said land was leased to ADUG at rates lower than the market rate.

These disclosures have brought back scrutiny of the relationship between public officials and Manchester City’s owners. Opposition politicians are demanding more information about meetings and hospitality involving the club.