Andy Burnham’s father, Roy, has died, prompting the Prime Minister to cancel all scheduled meetings for today and tomorrow, Downing Street has confirmed.
In the weeks before becoming Prime Minister, Mr Burnham spoke emotionally about his father’s Alzheimer’s disease and the pain of knowing Roy would not understand that his son had reached the country’s highest political office.
“That’s a sadness because he would be proud,” Mr Burnham said in July, recalling a visit to his father at a care home shortly before taking office.
“The way I look at it, it’s his achievement as well. It’s a whole family achievement, although he doesn’t know it.”
Mr Burnham has repeatedly cited his father’s Alzheimer’s—the most common cause of dementia—as a major reason for his determination to overhaul Britain’s social care system.
In a major address soon after becoming Prime Minister, he promised to fight for “my dad and the millions like him” who continue to face what he described as the injustices of the current care system.
Andy Burnham pictured with his father Roy, who was living with Alzheimer’s, and his mother Eileen in 2015
On Sunday, Mr Burnham joined 63,000 competitors in the Great North Run, completing the race in one hour and 57 minutes
Mr Burnham embraced his mother Eileen on 20 July after arriving at Downing Street following his official appointment as Prime Minister by the King
Mr Burnham has pledged to “grasp the nettle” on social care reform. After succeeding Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader, he said: “I’ve got personal experience of the system.
“My dad has Alzheimer’s and you see what the staff have to put up with. It’s not their fault. The system is broken. You can’t leave social care like this.”
He has also spoken about Roy’s lack of awareness that his son had embraced one of his long-standing political causes: replacing the current voting system with proportional representation.
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‘I don’t think he’s ever realised, because of his condition, that I’ve come round to PR, which is one of his missions – to get me to accept that,’ the PM told The Times in July.
Mr Burnham was pictured hugging his mother Eileen on July 20 after arriving in Downing Street after being officially appointed as PM by the King.
Roy, who was in his mid-80s, was a former telephone engineer, first with the Post Office and then with BT.
He and Eileen brought Mr Burnham up in Culcheth, Cheshire, alongside his two brothers.
Mr Burnham inherited his Catholic faith from his mother and attended Catholic schools during his childhood.
The former Greater Manchester mayor has previously spoken about how his non-Catholic father was worried about meeting his mother’s family for the first time ‘as religion was so important in Liverpool then’.
The PM was on Sunday among 63,000 runners to take part in the Great North Run.
Mr Burnham completed the half-marathon in one hour and 57 minutes and was raising money for North East charity Changing Lives, which he visited last month to launch a national drive to end rough sleeping.
The PM had been due to host regional mayors, entrepreneurs and business leaders for roundtable talks in Downing Street on Monday afternoon.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘My condolences to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and all his family.
‘No matter how old you are, or how much you try to prepare, losing your father is a profoundly painful experience.
‘A part of your life that has always been there is suddenly gone forever and it can feel as though a part of you won’t ever be the same again.’
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘My heart goes out to the Prime Minister on the loss of his dad.
‘From our conversations he sounded like a wonderful man. My prayers are with his whole family as they mourn together.’
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, told MPs on Monday: ‘I would like to offer my condolences to the Prime Minister on the death of his father.
‘I’m sure the whole House would want to send our best wishes to him and his family at this sad time.’
Education Secretary Lucy Powell, a close ally of Mr Burnham, also used an appearance in the Commons to send her ‘deepest condolences’ to the PM, as well as to Mr Burnham’s ‘wonderful mum, Eileen, his brothers Nick and John, all the grandchildren and the whole family’.
Michelle Dyson CB, CEO at Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the news that Roy Burnham – the Prime Minister’s father – has died.
‘Kenneth Roy Burnham had been living with Alzheimer’s disease. The loss of a parent leaves an immeasurable gap in our lives.
‘While every family’s experience is unique, many of us understand the long and often challenging journey that Alzheimer’s disease can bring, not only for the person living with the condition but for those who love them.
‘The Prime Minister has been a longstanding advocate for improving the lives of people affected by dementia, often drawing on his father’s experiences.
‘As mayor of Greater Manchester, he supported dementia-focused initiatives delivered with us, including the expansion of our Singing for the Brain programme, and ran alongside thousands at the Great North Run for Alzheimer’s Society in 2024.
‘Most importantly, he has consistently used his voice to highlight the urgent need for social care and dementia care reforms.
”We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and to anyone else who has experienced the heartache of losing someone to dementia.’
For confidential advice, call Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456
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