Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has confirmed that he hosted two hospitality dinners with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak while he was in office, according to records that were recently deleted from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) website. The dinners took place at Etihad Stadium matches in August 2017 and April 2018, and were valued at £300 and £699 respectively. The GMCA’s latest statement, released on Monday, acknowledged that Burnham had met Al Mubarak “informally in the stands” at a 2019 testimonial match and had been a guest at a handful of City home games, but it omitted mention of the two separate dinners.
The omission has drawn scrutiny as Burnham faces growing pressure to clarify his past interactions with the club. He has been under investigation for his role in the city’s dealings with Manchester City, which was recently found to have systematically breached Premier League financial regulations by creating “sham” contracts that funneled more than £830 million into its football operations between 2009 and 2018. The club has denied wrongdoing and is appealing the verdict. In the meantime, political figures have called for full transparency. Tory shadow sports minister Louie French urged that the former mayor “promised the country and House of Commons full transparency” on his dealings with the club, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch demanded that the Prime Minister release all details of meetings between the government and senior City figures.
Burnham responded to the calls for disclosure on the “Rest Is Politics” podcast, saying he was ready to publish the full list of his meetings with the club. He noted that the only significant meeting he had in his mayoral role was in 2021 at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit, arranged by the Department for International Trade. He added that none of his interactions were recent and that he had no further meetings with the club after that date. The GMCA’s statement, however, did not provide details of what was discussed at any of the meetings, leaving the public to speculate.
The GMCA’s policy of only publishing declarations from the current mayoral term has been questioned after the removal of Burnham’s older entries from its website. The authority has defended the practice, stating that it only releases information from the current term, but the BBC has requested clarification, noting that the site still contains entries dating back to 2022. The controversy comes amid broader concerns about political influence in Manchester City’s operations, particularly after a University of Sheffield report highlighted that the city council had leased land to the club’s owners at rates below market value.
As Manchester City prepares to appeal the independent commission’s findings, the scrutiny of its relationships with local government officials continues. Burnham’s forthcoming disclosure of his meetings with the club’s chairman may provide further insight into the extent of the mayor’s involvement. The GMCA is expected to release a more comprehensive statement soon, and the outcome of the club’s appeal could shape the future of its partnership with the Greater Manchester authorities.