Andy Burnham Had Two Hospitality Dinners With Man City Chairman, Deleted Records Show

Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, had two hospitality dinners with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, according to previously recorded details. The meetings occurred in 2017 and 2018.

These details emerged as Burnham has faced pressure to clarify his discussions with Manchester City following the club's finding of guilt by the Premier League for "systematically" breaking its rules, a verdict the club intends to appeal. Burnham previously sparked controversy when he stated concern over the club's owners potentially selling up.

On Monday, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) released a statement outlining Burnham's meetings with Manchester City during his nearly decade-long tenure as mayor. The statement specified a formal meeting with Al Mubarak in October 2021 during the UK Government's Global Investment Summit, arranged by the Department for International Trade. It also mentioned an informal meeting with the chairman at a 2019 testimonial match for former player Vincent Kompany, and that Burnham was a guest at home matches on a "small number of occasions."

However, the GMCA statement did not explicitly detail the two hospitality dinners. A register of declarations seen by the BBC showed an entry for a "dinner with [then-Manchester City Council leader] Richard Leese and Chair of Man City" at an Everton match in August 2017, valued at £300 for hospitality. Another entry documented a "dinner with the Chairman at the Man City/Man Utd derby" in April 2018, valued at approximately £699.

Burnham had previously declared these dinners, along with a pair of tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert at the stadium in May 2018. The register of declarations has since been removed from the GMCA website. A BBC inquiry into the GMCA's policy revealed that it is the authority's practice to only publish entries from the current mayoral term, despite the website retaining entries dating back to 2022, while the current term began in 2024.

Downing Street defended the dinners, stating they were hospitality at home games that had been declared and not separate meetings with the club chairman. Political pressure continues to mount on Burnham for greater clarity regarding his past discussions with Manchester City. Louie French, Tory shadow sports minister, stated that Burnham had promised full transparency and that this was essential following his "inappropriate intervention into football."

Burnham told the "Rest Is Politics" podcast that he would publish all details of his dealings with Manchester City from his time as mayor, emphasizing that most significant meetings were not recent, with only one substantial meeting occurring in 2021. The list of meetings published by the GMCA on Monday did not include details of discussions, and the BBC has inquired with the GMCA about why the two dinners were not specifically mentioned.

In September, Manchester City was found guilty by an independent commission of breaching Premier League financial regulations over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. The commission alleged the creation of "sham" contracts to funnel over £830 million into club operations. Sanctions are pending, and Manchester City denies any wrongdoing while appealing the verdict. Earlier this month, Sir Richard Leese, former leader of Manchester City Council, defended a decade-old deal between the council and Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), linked to the United Arab Emirates royal family, where land was leased at rates below comparable market value.