Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will release details of his meetings with senior figures at Manchester City. The announcement comes after criticism of his comments following the club being found guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.
An independent commission found Manchester City had broken rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. The club created "sham" contracts with commercial partners to secretly funnel more than £830m into their football operations.
Publication of meetings promised
Burnham told the Rest is Politics podcast: "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 he would "quite clearly put out there everything that I have done working with them in my previous role as Mayor of Greater Manchester".
Burnham served as mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 until earlier this year. He championed investment from the Gulf as a way of growing Manchester's economy during his tenure, which took place during a sustained period of success for Manchester City.
One significant meeting in 2021
Burnham stated that none of his meetings with City officials were recent. "I only had one significant meeting, actually, and that was in 2021," he said.
Burnham's initial comments after the guilty verdict drew concern from other Premier League clubs. The prime minister told the BBC he would be "really concerned" if Manchester City's owners decide to sell up following the verdict, before later denying his reaction had "downplayed the seriousness of the findings".
Sources told BBC Sport that some Premier League clubs were "astonished" by Burnham's stance, with concerns raised about potential political interference in the appeal process.
Football and investment are separate
"I don't think I misspoke," said Burnham of his past comments on Manchester City's owners.
He added: "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."
Burnham said the football issues and investment issues should not be conflated. "The football issues, the findings of the independent commission are serious, as I said in the interview," he stated.
Independent process and appeal
An independent commission held a 42-day hearing in 2024, leading to the guilty verdict announced last month. Manchester City was found guilty of all charges except one relating to non-cooperation with the Premier League investigation.
The commission's report stated that "a number of important club witnesses gave false evidence in key respects and that some knowingly gave untrue and dishonest evidence".
Manchester City continues to deny any wrongdoing. The club has lodged an appeal against the verdict, which will be heard by a separate independent appeal board. Sanctions are yet to be announced.
Manchester City returned to action for the first time since the guilty verdict when they played at Liverpool on Sunday, winning 3-0.