Andy Burnham pushed by Lib Dems to reveal all meetings with City owners

Andy Burnham is facing pressure from the Liberal Democrats to publish full details of every meeting he has had with the owners of Manchester City, the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), and to declare any hospitality he has accepted at the Etihad Stadium.

The push comes after an independent commission found City guilty of 114 charges relating to breaches of financial rules over nearly a decade, including the use of “sham contracts” and steps to disguise more than £830m of funding. In a letter seen by the Guardian, the party’s culture, media and sport spokesperson, Anna Sabine, criticised Burnham’s response, arguing his comments downplayed the findings as “contested” and claimed it was “wrong to jump to a conclusion”.

Sabine also says Burnham’s links to ADUG should be scrutinised and plans to write to Downing Street and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to request details of those meetings. Downing Street says Burnham has not met City’s owners since becoming prime minister in July, and that his quarterly engagement list will be published before the end of the year. City confirmed on Friday that it has appealed the independent verdict and said it is unsafe, citing alleged errors of law, principle and fact.