Andy Burnham has been accused of covering up links to Manchester City as new freebies have emerged.
A new probe has revealed a deleted register of interests, suggesting that while Mr Burnham was Mayor of Greater Manchester, he twice joined City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in a luxury hospitality suite at the Etihad Stadium.
The investigation has suggested Mr Burnham accepted City-funded freebies worth almost £1,200.
Details of the freebies were logged in a register he signed on December 7 2020; however, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority removed the register from its website.
In August 2017, Mr Burnham dined with Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese and Mr Al Mubarak in a match against Everton.
He declared this on his register of interests, valued at £338, and reported it as being provided by “Manchester City Football Club”.
In April 2018, Mr Burnham met with the chairman and was wined and dined during the Manchester derby, with the meal and seat valued at £699.
One month later, Mr Burnham was handed two tickets worth £150 to see pop singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran perform at the Etihad during his Divide tour.
Mr Burnham was pictured arriving at a charity dinner organised by former City Captain Vincent Kompany at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel, where Noel Gallagher took the stage.
While freebies from Mr Burnham’s second term as Mayor of Greater Manchester remain accessible online, all those from his first stint have been taken down, The Sun reports.
Earlier this week, it was revealed Mr Burnham had a formal meeting with Mr Al Mubarak at an investment summit, chatted to him in the stands at Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, and was accompanied by staff from the club on official overseas visits.
The combined authority released details of the Prime Minister’s contacts with the scandal-hit club and its Abu Dhabi owners during his time as Greater Manchester mayor.
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Mr Burnham told MPs that “all of my dealings” with Manchester City’s owners would be published.
A Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) spokesman said earlier this week: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared as usual.”
The spokesman added that representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would “routinely join business delegations as part of mayoral international visits.”
Other examples included delegates from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City staff supporting visits to China and Japan.
GB News has contacted the GMCA for further comment. Downing Street declined to comment.
Shadow sports minister Louie French said the disclosure of Mr Burnham’s meetings was “far from the full transparency that football fans deserve”.
He said: “Burnham cannot hide behind the GMCA; he must take responsibility for this himself. We have been given precious little information about these meetings, what was discussed and what may have been agreed.
“If Burnham has nothing to hide, why is he being so tight-lipped? His bizarre intervention in defence of Man City’s owners has raised serious concerns among fans.
“It’s time for the Prime Minister to come clean about his relationship with City Football Group so the public can make their own conclusions.”
City have been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. The club maintained their innocence and appealed against the verdict.
Mr Burnham said last month he would be “really concerned” if City’s Abu Dhabi owners sold the club in the wake of the finding, crediting them with being “a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester”.
Downing Street sought to clarify his comments afterwards, saying the Prime Minister was clear that the judgment is serious and that where wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the consequences.
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