Andy Burnham has declared over £345,000 in donations received over the past 12 months, according to the latest register of interests. The declarations include financial contributions from prominent figures and organizations, as well as tickets to high-profile events.
Among the listed donors is Lord Sainsbury, who provided £164,347 in support, encompassing office space and contractor costs for policy and operations. Lord Blunkett contributed £2,000 towards Burnham's Makerfield by-election campaign, and businessman Gary Lubner donated £25,000 for his Labour leadership bid. Additionally, a company run by TV producer Charlie Parsons gave £50,000.
ThinkLabour, formerly known as Labour Together, provided over £22,000 in staffing and IT equipment for Burnham's office in June. Ernst & Young also contributed a secondment to his team valued at £16,500 in July.
Prior to his recent election, Burnham received donations totaling £325,000 for his Makerfield contest and Labour leadership bid. Earlier mayoral campaigning efforts also saw contributions of £5,000 each from the Fire Brigades Union, its north-west regional office, the Communication Workers Union, and Unison.
Beyond financial contributions, Burnham's register of interests also lists non-financial benefits. In his former role as Manchester mayor, he accepted two tickets to the Brit Awards from Sony Music, valued at £3,800, along with two tickets to Aintree racecourse worth £500. He also received four tickets to the Glastonbury festival.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party stated that all declarations were made in accordance with parliamentary and Electoral Commission rules.
The disclosures come amid reports that Keir Starmer's decision to dismiss a top civil servant after 14 months incurred a cost of approximately £500,000 to taxpayers. Sir Chris Wormald was removed as Cabinet Secretary as part of a leadership team restructuring. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticized Starmer's action, accusing him of sacrificing the civil servant.