Burnham had two hospitality dinners with Man City chairman, deleted records show

Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, had two hospitality dinners with Manchester City Football Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak while serving as mayor. The two dinners took place at matches in 2017 and 2018, although this detail was not included in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)'s statement about Burnham's meetings with the club.

Burnham has faced pressure to clarify his previous discussions with the club, especially since Manchester City was found guilty of systematically breaking Premier League rules, which they will appeal. The GMCA released a statement on Monday detailing Burnham's meetings with Al Mubarak, including a formal meeting in 2021 at a government summit and an informal meeting in the stands at a testimonial match in 2019.

However, the statement did not mention the two hospitality dinners. The GMCA's register of declarations, which was deleted from the GMCA website, listed two dinners with Al Mubarak at separate matches, valued at £300 and £699 respectively. Burnham previously declared these dinners along with tickets to Ed Sheeran's performance at the stadium.

Downing Street defended the two dinners as hospitality received at home games, which had been declared, rather than separate meetings with the club chairman. However, political pressure on Burnham to be clearer about any former discussions with Manchester City continues to mount.