Tories say Burnham 'out of touch' after Manchester City comments

WHAT HAPPENED

Conservative politicians have accused Andy Burnham of being "completely out of touch" after his public comments on Manchester City's punishment by an independent commission. Burnham said he was "not getting directly involved in the process" and that "this has to be a process undertaken independently by the Premier League", but added he would be "really concerned to lose" the club's owners.

THE RESPONSE FROM THE TORIES

Shadow minister for sport Louie French called on the government to "keep politics out of football and ensure the Premier League's independent commission can do its job free of outside influence". He said fans were "horrified by what they are reading in the papers" and questioned whether "political pressure" was being applied, pointing to the owners' investments in Manchester.

A No 10 spokesperson reiterated the prime minister's position that the initial judgement is serious and that the independent process must be allowed to run its course, adding: "If wrongdoing is established, those responsible should face the appropriate consequences."

KEY CONTEXT

An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of most of the 115 charges it faced. The panel said the club arranged "sham contracts" with commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of more than £830m. The Premier League said City "systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade." Manchester City deny any wrongdoing.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

The club has until Friday to submit an appeal against the commission's findings. The case remains under the Premier League's independent process.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

- Burnham was mayor of Greater Manchester until June and said he was "of course" confident his interactions with the club's owners while in office would stand up to scrutiny.