Andy Burnham has said he will "put out there everything that I have done" regarding his dealings with Manchester City during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester, after being challenged by Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch to publish "everything" about his meetings with the club.
The pledge comes after Manchester City were found guilty of breaching financial rules by an independent commission over a nine-year period spanning 2009 to 2018, a period during which the club became one of the dominant forces in English football. There have since been calls for the club to be stripped of their titles.
Speaking on the 'Rest is Politics' podcast, released on Monday, Burnham said, via The Mirror, "The football issues are different from the investment issues." He added, "I see now people trying to conflate these things. I've been asked by the leader of the opposition to publish details of my meetings, which I'm happy to do. I will quite clearly put out there everything that I have done working with them in my previous role as Mayor of Greater Manchester."
He continued, "None of it is recent, actually, in terms of the meetings I had. I only had one significant meeting, actually, and that was in 2021. That is right and I will put that all out there. But the football issues, they are serious and have to be dealt with, and the process is independent and it has to run its course." He went on to say, "But I think everybody should separate the investment issues because they're not the same thing."
Burnham had previously drawn attention when he said he'd be "really concerned" if the club's Abu Dhabi owners departed in the wake of the ruling, describing them as a "huge partner in the building of modern Manchester". No. 10 subsequently sought to clarify his remarks, saying Burnham was clear the judgement was serious and that where wrongdoing was established, those responsible should face the consequences.
Manchester City continue to maintain their innocence and have appealed the commission's decision. On Sunday, they delivered a 3-0 win away at Liverpool in their first fixture following the announcement of the guilty verdict, a result that kept them at the top of the Premier League standings.
