Burnham twice dined with Manchester City chairman — records removed from GMCA website

The key facts

Burnham dined with Al Mubarak at matches in August 2017 (£300) and April 2018 (£699), having previously declared this
GMCA's statement did not clarify that being a 'guest of the club' meant two dinners with the chairman; the register of declarations has been removed from the website
Downing Street calls it declared hospitality; the opposition demands disclosure of all meetings with the club's leadership

Two dinners not mentioned in the statement

As BBC News reports, Andy Burnham, while Mayor of Greater Manchester, twice dined in a hospitality format with Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak — at matches in 2017 and 2018. These details were not clarified in the statement published on Monday by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) about his meetings with the club. The statement referred to a formal meeting in October 2021 at the UK government's Global Investment Summit, organised by the Department for International Trade, an informal 'in the stands' meeting at Vincent Kompany's farewell match in 2019, and that Burnham 'as mayor was a guest of Manchester City at home matches a small number of times', without specifying that this meant two dinners with the club's chairman.

Removed register of declarations

According to the BBC, the former GMCA register of declarations contained an entry about a 'dinner with Richard Leese and the Man City chairman' at the match against Everton at the Etihad in August 2017 (hospitality worth £300) and about a 'dinner with the chairman at the Man City — Man United derby' in April 2018 (around £699). Burnham also declared tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert in May 2018 worth £150. However, the register was removed from the GMCA website — The Sun was the first to report this. The BBC understands that under GMCA policy only records from the current mayoral term are published; the outlet asked GMCA for clarification, since the website has records from 2022, although the term began in 2024.

Context of the scandal surrounding the club

Burnham has been under pressure since September, when an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of 'systematic' breaches of Premier League rules: according to the commission's findings, between 2009 and 2018 the club entered into 'fictitious' contracts with commercial partners, secretly channelling more than £830m into football operations. Sanctions have not yet been announced; the club, which denies the breaches, has lodged an appeal. Last month Burnham sparked controversy by saying he would be 'very concerned' if the club's owners sold it.

Downing Street and opposition reaction

Downing Street defends the dinners, calling them declared hospitality at home matches, rather than separate meetings with the club's chairman. Asked why the dinners were not mentioned in the statement and what the difference is between 'all' and 'key contacts', the Prime Minister's press secretary referred to the GMCA statement. Conservative shadow sports minister Louie French said Burnham 'promised the country and the House of Commons full transparency' in his contacts with the club. Robert Jenrick of Reform UK said 'this story stinks', accusing Burnham of concealing ties with the club's owners. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has for several days been demanding that Downing Street disclose all of the Prime Minister's meetings with the club's leadership. At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Burnham said the club 'did not raise these issues' with him or his team, and that he is ready to 'set everything out in full'. Earlier, on The Rest Is Politics podcast, he said he had had 'only one significant contact — in 2021'.

India trip and land deal

Separately, it emerged that a club representative joined this week's trade mission to India along with Burnham's successor as mayor, Bev Craig. The mission was organised by the business department, but, as The Guardian first reported, the invitation to Manchester City came from Great North — a coalition of northern mayors and regional leaders. The government said it was not involved in approving the club's presence on the trip. Earlier this month, Sir Richard Leese, who led Manchester City Council for 25 years until 2021, defended the decade-long deal between the council and the club's owners Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), linked to the UAE royal family: according to a University of Sheffield report, land was leased to ADUG 'at rates below comparable ones'.