Lib Dems press PM Andy Burnham to disclose meetings with Manchester City owners

On 2 October 2026 the Liberal Democrats called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to publish records of every meeting he has held with the Abu Dhabi United Group, Manchester City’s owners, and to declare any hospitality he accepted at the Etihad Stadium after an independent commission found the club guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.

The demand follows widespread criticism of Burnham after he said he would be "really concerned" if ADUG were forced to sell City, comments that prompted Downing Street to issue two clarifications on Thursday. Burnham has publicly praised ADUG’s investment in Manchester and maintained close links with the group during nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester, a role he vacated when he returned to parliament this summer.

Anna Sabine, the Liberal Democrats’ spokesperson for culture, media and sport, set out her objections in a strongly worded letter seen by the Guardian, invoking concerns about wider governance in the game and referencing an aborted World Cup sell-off scheme linked to Gianni Infantino. Sabine wrote: "As you will know, an independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of 114 charges of breaching financial rules over a timeframe of nearly a decade, including the use of ‘sham contracts’ and schemes to disguise more than £830m of funding."

In the same letter Sabine criticised Burnham’s immediate response to the commission’s findings, quoting his remarks and warning of the damage to public trust in the league’s processes. She added: "Despite this, your response was to thank the club’s owners for their work and describe the findings as ‘contested’ and that it was ‘wrong to jump to a conclusion’. It is extraordinary that a prime minister would use his position to call into question the findings of the independent investigation, and risk undermining trust in the Premier League’s processes. "This has been a difficult year for football’s reputation. Fifa’s conduct around the World Cup has already raised serious questions about integrity in the game we love. At a moment like this, fans expect their prime minister to stand up for the rules in place, not to appear to side with a club found guilty of breaking them."

Sabine told the Guardian that Burnham’s relationship with ADUG warranted scrutiny and said the public had a right to know the full extent of any contacts or benefits he had received. She said: "Football fans up and down the country deserve to know that the rules apply to everyone, however rich and powerful they are. When the prime minister leaps to the defence of a club’s owners within hours of a verdict, people are entitled to ask what their relationship is. "Andy Burnham must come clean and publish details of every meeting and conversation he has had with City Football Group, Abu Dhabi United Group or UAE government representatives, going back to his time as mayor – and that includes any hospitality freebies received."

Burnham, an Everton supporter, has been pictured in hospitality areas at Etihad Stadium, though the precise nature and extent of any hospitality is unclear because, under Greater Manchester Combined Authority regulations, public disclosure of gifts applies to current office holders without requiring a freedom of information request. The prime minister has not attended a City match since taking office but has been to two Everton fixtures at Hill Dickinson Stadium, where he was accommodated in the directors’ box despite holding a season ticket in the South Stand.

Manchester City said on Friday they had appealed the independent commission’s verdict and reiterated their position that the decision "contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe".

Sabine intends to write to Downing Street and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to demand details of meetings between Burnham and City Football Group, Abu Dhabi United Group or UAE government representatives, and Manchester City has lodged an appeal against the commission’s findings.