A handout photograph released by the UK Parliament's House of Commons shows Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham speaking during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, central London, on September 9, 2026. (Photo by House of Commons / AFP)
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has defended his comments following Manchester City’s guilty verdict over breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, insisting that the allegations against the club should be separated from its investment in Greater Manchester.
Burnham also pledged to publish details of his meetings with senior Manchester City officials after facing questions about his relationship with the club’s Abu Dhabi owners.
Speaking on The Rest Is Politics podcast on Saturday, Burnham said he was willing to make the information public following a demand by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for details of meetings between the prime minister and the club’s officials.
“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.
“I will quite clearly put out there everything that I have done working with them in my previous role as Mayor of Greater Manchester.”
Burnham, who served as mayor from 2017 until earlier this year, said his meetings with the club’s officials were not recent, adding that he had held only one significant meeting with them in 2021.
The prime minister came under criticism after initially saying he would be “really concerned” if Manchester City’s owners decided to sell the club following the guilty verdict.
He later rejected suggestions that his comments had downplayed the seriousness of the findings.
Defending his position, Burnham said his focus had been on the Labour Party conference when he made the remarks. He argued that questions about football-related breaches should not be conflated with the club’s economic contributions to the region.
“I don’t think I misspoke,” he said.
“What I would say is my mind hadn’t been on all of the issues. My mind had been on Labour Party conference and I was doing interviews in relation to it.”
He added: “The football issues are different from the investment issues. People will try and conflate those two things, but they shouldn’t, in my view.”
Burnham nevertheless acknowledged the seriousness of the findings against Manchester City, saying: “The football issues, the findings of the independent commission are serious, as I said in the interview.”
An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of multiple breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations relating to the period between 2009 and 2018.
The commission’s report stated that the club had created “sham” commercial contracts to secretly channel more than £830 million into its football operations.
The report also stated that “a number of important club witnesses gave false evidence in key respects and that some knowingly gave untrue and dishonest evidence”.
The club denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict. A separate independent appeal board is expected to hear the case, while sanctions have yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, some Premier League clubs have reportedly expressed concern about possible political interference in the appeal process.
The proceedings against Manchester City were handled independently of the Premier League’s executive body, with a 42-day commission hearing held in 2024 before the verdict was announced.
Manchester City returned to action following the verdict with a 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Burnham’s promise to disclose details of his meetings is expected to bring further scrutiny to his dealings with the club during his time as mayor, particularly his efforts to attract investment from Gulf countries to support Greater Manchester’s economic development.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that Burnham was facing growing pressure over comments he made about Manchester City after the club was found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules.
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