Burnham trade chief took UAE freebies before City boss talks

Tap play to hear this story.

Jonathan Reynolds, Andy Burnham’s Trade Secretary, previously accepted £3,500 of flights and accommodation paid for by the UAE government, according to Electoral Commission records viewed by Jody McIntyre and posted on X. The disclosure comes as the Prime Minister faces pressure over £55 million in taxpayer-funded loans and fresh questions about Labour ties to Abu Dhabi.

Days before the Manchester City verdict, City chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak met Reynolds. The same minister had earlier been hosted on an overseas trip by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2018 and once served as a vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel. Before Parliament, Reynolds worked as an assistant to James Purnell, now Burnham’s chief of staff.

Purnell left lobbying firm Flint Global to join Team Burnham. Last June he hosted Reynolds and fourteen arms industry executives at a dinner that went initially undeclared. Both men spoke. The firms present later secured 186 government contracts worth £3.1 billion. A government spokesman called the non-declaration an administrative error.

Labour’s deputy leader Lucy Powell also accepted £3,500 of UAE government hospitality. Manchester City FC has gifted her tickets on five occasions. In July Burnham promoted her to Education Secretary. Her deputy leadership bid received £10,000 from Labour Together donor Martin Taylor. She was later given FA Cup final and Carabao Cup final tickets for City matches.

In 2018 then Labour MP Ian Austin took a £3,800 donation from the UAE Foreign Ministry. Under Burnham he serves as Trade Envoy to Israel, appointed by Reynolds. In 2023 Reynolds appeared alongside Josh Simons and Peter Mandelson at a Labour Together event; the group, now ThinkLabour, put £22,186 towards a Burnham leadership campaign. With demands growing for Burnham to list any meetings with City’s owners, the pattern of undeclared hospitality and Gulf cash will not fade quietly.

Full Source: https://x.com/jodymcintyre_/status/2108465928526815561