Burnham and Carney unite at Everton over shared grief as both leaders lost fathers to Alzheimer's

Andy Burnham and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney watched Everton face Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Tuesday evening, a meeting that carried personal weight after Carney revealed he too had lost his father to Alzheimer’s disease — telling Burnham: “I know that struggle.”

Burnham, who is grieving the death of his father Roy earlier this week, continued his official duties to host the Canadian leader for the Carabao Cup tie. Both men wore Alzheimer’s Society forget-me-not flowers on their lapels, and a photograph of Roy Burnham was shown on the stadium’s big screens before kick-off, with a further tribute paid at half-time.

The two leaders met in the directors’ clubroom, posing in front of British and Canadian flags before swapping suits for Everton scarves and taking their seats in the stands. “What a real, life privilege this is for me to welcome the Prime Minister of Canada,” Burnham said. “We share so much, Mark — we have a few Liverpool connections, Ireland connections, but, of course, Everton connections — and it’s going to be a special occasion.”

Carney, who adopted Everton as his club after moving to the UK, revealed that the first Everton match he ever attended was the 1989 FA Cup semi-final — the game played on the day of the Hillsborough disaster, an event Burnham has also spoken about witnessing. Carney praised Burnham for his role in “bringing justice and closure” for the families of the 97 Liverpool fans who died.

Burnham described the former Bank of England governor as a “great progressive leader” and pointed to potential future co-operation on defence and artificial intelligence. “It’s just so good for me to think I will have somebody to talk to and commiserate about Everton at a G7 meeting,” Burnham said.

Carney said there was scope for the two countries to “build together”, including on shared values around AI. “It is an honour to be here. It is a pleasure to be here,” he added.

Burnham first extended the invitation when the two spoke in July, shortly after he took office. Carney has been a regular presence at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, which opened last year, since becoming Prime Minister.