Understand
Andy Burnham faces backlash and Downing Street back-pedalling over Manchester City remarks
Overview
Prime Minister and former Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham sparked controversy during an interview with BBC News political editor Chris Mason by stating he would be "really concerned" if Manchester City's owners sold up following Premier League rule breach allegations. His comments, which drew comparisons to his own club Everton's financial troubles and prompted accusations of being out of touch from Conservatives, led to two rapid attempts at clarification and back-pedalling by Downing Street within 24 hours.
Key points
- The Premier League concluded that Manchester City systematically broke rules for nearly a decade, involving allegations of sham contracts and secret funding.
- In an interview with BBC News, Andy Burnham stated he would be "really concerned" to lose Manchester City's owners from the UAE due to their partnership in building modern Manchester.
- Burnham compared the situation to a previous financial row involving his own club, Everton, arguing it would be wrong to leap to conclusions.
- Burnham's remarks drew heavy criticism and were labelled "completely out of touch" and "extraordinary" by the Conservatives.
- Downing Street issued a hurried written statement backtracking on the remarks, which was subsequently re-issued to change the word "if" to "wherever" regarding potential wrongdoing.