UK P M faces scrutiny over unlisted dinners with Man City chairman

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak hosted British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at two hospitality dinners in 2017 and 2018 when Burnham was mayor of Greater Manchester, according to records cited by the BBC.

As reported by the BBC on Wednesday, the dinners, held at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium in August 2017 and April 2018, have emerged amid growing pressure on Burnham to provide full details of his dealings with the football club.

The hospitality arrangements were not specifically identified in a statement released on Monday by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), which outlined Burnham’s meetings and interactions with the club during his time as mayor.

A previous register of declarations showed that Burnham attended a dinner with Al Mubarak and then-Manchester City Council leader Richard Leese during an Everton match in August 2017. The hospitality was valued at £300.

Another entry listed a dinner with the club chairman during the Manchester City-Manchester United derby in April 2018, valued at approximately £699.

Burnham had previously declared both dinners, as well as a pair of tickets worth £150 to see singer Ed Sheeran perform at the stadium in May 2018.

However, the register has since been removed from the GMCA website. The BBC reported that the authority’s policy was to publish only declarations from the current mayoral term.

The BBC has asked the GMCA to clarify the policy, noting that some records dating back to 2022 remain available online, although the current mayoral term began in 2024.

The development comes as Burnham faces increasing scrutiny over his past dealings with Manchester City following an independent commission’s findings that the club breached Premier League financial regulations.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Burnham was asked whether anyone at the club had raised the charges against it during discussions with him.

They did not raise those issues with me,” he told MPs.

Burnham said he was willing to disclose details of his dealings with the club and had asked the GMCA to publish a statement outlining his key interactions with its owners.

“It is why I asked the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), in response to a call from the leader of the Opposition and others, to set out a full statement of my key dealings with the owners of Manchester City Football Club,” he said.

“That statement was published on Monday, and it includes the issues in the news today.”

The GMCA statement listed a formal meeting between Burnham and Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit in October 2021, arranged by the Department for International Trade.

It also referred to an informal encounter between the two men in the stands during a 2019 testimonial match for former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany.

The statement added that Burnham had been a guest of the club at home matches on a small number of occasions but did not specifically identify the two dinners.

Downing Street defended the hospitality, describing the dinners as benefits received at home matches that had been declared, rather than separate meetings with the club chairman.

However, opposition politicians have continued to demand greater transparency.

Conservative shadow sports minister Louie French said Burnham had promised to provide full details of his dealings with the club.

“Andy Burnham promised the country and House of Commons full transparency on his dealings with Manchester City,” French said

This was essential after his inappropriate intervention into football.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also called on Downing Street to release details of meetings between Burnham and senior figures at the club.

Speaking on _The Rest Is Politics_ podcast last week, Burnham said he was prepared to publish details of his interactions with Manchester City during his tenure as mayor.

“I’ve been asked by the leader of the opposition to publish details of my meetings, which I’m happy to do and I’m going to,” he said.

He added that he had held only one significant meeting with the club, in 2021.

The controversy follows an independent commission’s finding that Manchester City breached Premier League financial regulations over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.

The commission found that the club had used what it described as “sham” contracts with commercial partners to channel more than £830m into its football operations.

Manchester City denies wrongdoing and has appealed the findings. Sanctions have yet to be announced.

Earlier this month, former Manchester City Council leader Richard Leese defended a decade-old agreement between the council and Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the company linked to the club’s owners.

A University of Sheffield report said land had been leased to ADUG at rates below comparable market levels.

The disclosures have renewed scrutiny of the relationship between public officials and Manchester City’s ownership, with opposition politicians calling for further information about meetings and hospitality involving the club.