Downing Street distances itself from Burnham after PM's Man City owners remarks spark backlash

Downing Street issued a formal statement on Thursday night distancing itself from Prime Minister Andy Burnham after his comments expressing concern over a potential forced sale of Manchester City prompted widespread backlash.

City were found guilty by an independent commission of 114 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018. The panel found the club had inflated revenue and reduced costs by £900 million, issued ‘sham’ contracts, and misstated accounts across the nine-year period. The club strongly deny the charges, citing what they describe as a ‘comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence’ proving their innocence, and have lodged an appeal.

Should City fail in that appeal, it has been speculated that their Abu Dhabi owners — including Sheikh Mansour — could face pressure to sell the club. Asked about that prospect in a BBC interview on Wednesday, Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “I would be really concerned to lose them. They’ve been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester. Obviously, the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is.”

The remarks drew immediate criticism, with opponents accusing Burnham of publicly backing an ownership group still subject to an ongoing independent process. A No.10 spokesperson responded on Thursday evening: “The Prime Minister made clear the initial judgement is serious and there can’t be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules. He also stressed that it is an ongoing independent process. It is essential that it is allowed to run its course and the outcome respected. If wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences.”

Burnham, himself an Everton supporter, also acknowledged in the interview that his dealings with City Football Group during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester may come under scrutiny, but said he expected them to withstand it. “I do actually thank the City Football Group and the wider ownership for the money that they didn’t just put into the Etihad and the campus around it but also into the city,” he said, while insisting he would not intervene in the legal process. “It would be wrong for me to do anything else. It’s an independent legal process that has to play its course through.”

Shadow minister for sport Louie French was among those to criticise the Prime Minister’s original comments. “Burnham is publicly backing the owners even as the investigation continues,” French said, adding that fans would rightly question whether political pressure was being applied to the process.