Andy Burnham’s father Roy has died, prompting the Prime Minister to cancel meetings scheduled for today and tomorrow, Downing Street said.
Mr Burnham had previously spoken about the sadness that his father, who had Alzheimer’s disease, would not know that his son had become Prime Minister.
Speaking shortly before taking office, Mr Burnham said: “That’s a sadness because he would be proud.” He added that Roy’s achievement was “a whole family achievement although he doesn’t know it”.
Roy, who was in his mid-80s, was a former telephone engineer who worked first for the Post Office and later for BT. He and his wife Eileen brought up Andy and his two brothers, Nick and John, in Culcheth, Cheshire.
Mr Burnham has often linked his father’s illness to his determination to reform social care. Shortly after becoming Prime Minister, he pledged to help “my dad and the millions like him” affected by what he described as unfairness in the current system.
After replacing Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader, Mr Burnham 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’s broken. You can’t leave social care like this.”
He also said Roy had not realised that his son had changed his position on proportional representation, one of his own political causes.
“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,” Mr Burnham told The Times in July.
Mr Burnham was pictured embracing his mother after arriving in Downing Street on July 20, following his appointment as Prime Minister by the King. He inherited his Catholic faith from his mother and attended Catholic schools, while previously describing his non-Catholic father’s nervousness about meeting her family because religion was then so important in Liverpool.
The Prime Minister had been due to host regional mayors, entrepreneurs and business leaders for round-table talks in Downing Street on Monday afternoon.
News of Roy’s death prompted tributes from political leaders. Conservative 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.”
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.”
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told MPs: “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 also offered her “deepest condolences” to Mr Burnham, his mother Eileen, his brothers, the grandchildren and the wider family.
