Chris Mason: Why Andy Burnham's change of stance on Manchester City matters
Andy Burnham said he would be "really concerned" if Manchester City's owners sold the club in an interview with Chris Mason on Wednesday as the Labour Party conference concluded in Liverpool, comments made amid the Premier League's ruling that City "systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade". Those remarks prompted two attempts to backtrack within 24 hours and attracted sustained public scrutiny.
The Premier League's initial finding is not limited to the club alone, the article argues, because it has implications for Manchester, for the league and for the UK's reputation given the global reach of England's top flight. Andy Burnham, who pitches himself as "Mr Manchester" and is described as a big football fan, was the mayor of Greater Manchester a matter of months ago and is now prime minister. The piece highlights diplomatic sensitivity around the extent to which City's ownership is separate from the Abu Dhabi state and notes that the state is a big UK ally.
Chris Mason says he put a series of questions to Burnham about the situation because he judged it to be in the public interest, and that Burnham's on-camera comments were followed by two attempts to backtrack 24 hours later. Mason characterises the episode as "perhaps his biggest self inflicted tangle since he arrived in Downing Street in July." Burnham had expected to be asked about Manchester City but did not expect the level of sustained scrutiny that followed.
When asked whether he was worried Manchester City's owners might sell up, Burnham replied in full: "Well, I would be really concerned to lose them. They've been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester. Obviously, the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is. "I can't intervene more in the process. It would be wrong for me to do that. It would be wrong, I think, to jump to a conclusion before having really studied all of the detail, but obviously it's ongoing, and because it's still contested by Manchester City, then I think it's right that I don't say much more." The quote was widely seized upon in football circles and by political opponents, with the Conservatives calling his remarks "completely out of touch" and "extraordinary".
Mason draws out two aspects he considers revealing: Burnham's stated concern at the prospect of the Abu Dhabi money leaving, and the phrase "I can't intervene more" which left observers questioning what "more" might entail. Burnham repeatedly described his approach as circumspect, saying "I am not getting directly involved in the process," and adding "I have to keep my distance from it." Those remarks, Mason writes, contributed to the cumulative impression that Burnham was sympathetic to Manchester City's position.
Burnham also compared the situation to a smaller financial row involving his former club, Everton, saying: "I remember people proclaiming Everton guilty at the time, and you know, with hindsight, I think more people would say that wasn't fair the way that was handled. So it would be wrong of me to leap to one side given the experience that I'd had before becoming prime minister." Everton were docked Premier League points over that matter. Despite the breadth of the Premier League's findings about City, Mason notes, Burnham offered no explicit criticism of the club and media reaction grew rapidly; by teatime on Thursday, Downing Street was attempting to soften the tone of his comments.
Downing Street issued a written statement that read in full: "As the prime minister made clear, the initial judgement is serious and there can't be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules. He also stressed that it is an ongoing independent process. It is essential that it is allowed to run its course and the outcome respected. "If wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences." The first word of the second paragraph, "If," was immediately highlighted, and a little over an hour later the statement was re-issued with "If" replaced by "wherever." Mason recalls the Premier League's finding that City arranged "sham contracts" with a number of commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of almost a billion pounds, while also noting that the club deny wrongdoing and are considering an appeal.
Mason concludes that the episode has ensnared the prime minister at local, national and diplomatic levels and that it is one of the biggest domestic stories of the year and one that is only just beginning. "It won't be the last time he faces questions about Manchester City."
