Burnham pledges to disclose Manchester City meetings after verdict criticism

Andy Burnham has said he will publish details of his meetings with senior Manchester City figures following criticism of his response to the club's financial-rules verdict. According to BBC Sport, the prime minister made the commitment on The Rest is Politics podcast after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for disclosure of his contacts with the club's leadership.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcTtrZ5HdVo

Burnham said the information would cover his dealings with City during his previous role as mayor of Greater Manchester. He described the meetings as not recent and said he had held only one significant meeting, in 2021. Questions about those contacts have focused on his relationship with the club's Abu Dhabi ownership and his record of supporting Gulf investment in Manchester's economy.

The dispute follows an independent commission's finding that City breached Premier League financial rules during the period from 2009 to 2018. BBC Sport reported that the commission found commercial arrangements had been used to channel more than £830 million into the club's football operations through sham contracts. City have lodged an appeal and continue to deny wrongdoing. Sanctions have not yet been announced.

Burnham initially told the BBC he would be concerned if City's owners decided to sell following the verdict. He subsequently rejected suggestions that his response had minimised the findings. BBC Sport reported that sources at some Premier League clubs were concerned about possible political interference in the appeal process after hearing his comments.

In the podcast interview, Burnham defended a distinction between football regulation and the wider economic role of investment. He said the commission's findings were serious but argued that the football case and investment questions should be considered separately. He also said his attention at the time of the earlier interviews had been on the Labour Party conference.

The disciplinary proceedings remain independent of the Premier League, with a separate independent appeal board due to consider City's challenge. The original commission held a 42-day hearing in 2024 before its verdict was announced last month. On the pitch, City returned to action on Sunday for the first time since that decision and won 3-0 at Liverpool.