Manchester council's gagging clauses exposed as Labour MPs took £300,000 in UAE and Man City freebies

From the Newshound archive · first published 11 October 2026.

Manchester City's owners, convicted of fraud, handed Labour MPs close to £300,000 in luxury hospitality — flights, VIP football tickets and foreign trips — while Manchester Council has now been found to have inserted gagging clauses into property deals tied to the UAE. Lucy Powell, Labour's deputy leader and Education Secretary, accepted five match tickets worth £2,360 including an £849 VIP seat, all while Andy Burnham personally signed off a £55million taxpayer loan to the Arab state. Labour received more UAE-funded hospitality than every other party combined.

A verdict last month found Man City guilty on more than 100 counts of breaching Premier League financial regulations, including concealing over £900million in costs.

Former PM Sir Keir Starmer attended a City vs Arsenal match on a £900 ticket, and a total of 25 Labour MPs appear by name in the Register of Interests.

The TaxPayers' Alliance warned the gifts 'may lead to conflicts of interest' and raise 'serious questions about foreign influence and transparency.'