Andy Burnham Man City links are back in focus as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) discloses Burnham had met Manchester City’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at a government investment summit in October 2021.
The confirmation came after Burnham drew criticism for his initial response to a match against Manchester City that saw the club found guilty of several serious infringements of the Premier League’s financial regulations. Opposition politicians raised doubts about whether he was being serious about the seriousness of the findings in his comments.
During the meeting, Burnham was the mayor of Greater Manchester from May 2017 until June 2026. The meeting was organised by the Department for International Trade and held during the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit, according to the GMCA.
In a statement on Monday the authority said it had a “formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit, organised by the Department for International Trade”, in October 2021 while Burnham was Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Burnham got a bit of flack for his worry that the Manchester City owners could sell the club after the guilty verdict. He told the BBC that the owners were ‘a huge partner’ in the creation of modern Manchester, and said they had helped to make the club a global force.
Opposition members, such as Liberal Democrats, objected his reply, which they said was defending the club’s behaviour. Subsequently critics have demanded more transparency in his dealings with Manchester City officials.
Later, Burnham’s spokesman clarified his comments, saying the club should face the “appropriate consequences” should it be determined that wrongdoing has occurred.
The dispute brings back the Manchester City and Greater Manchester link into focus. The meeting was confirmed, but the GMCA statement does not prove that Burnham was guilty of any wrongdoing.
