UK PM mourns father, suspends official engagements

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has cancelled his official engagements for Monday and Tuesday following the death of his father, Roy Burnham.

The prime minister had been scheduled to host a meeting with business leaders at Downing Street. The engagement has now been cancelled as he mourns his father.

Roy Burnham had Alzheimer’s disease. His condition was previously discussed by his son while explaining his commitment to reforming adult social care in England.

Burnham has spoken openly about his father’s illness and the care he received. Before entering Downing Street, he said it was painful that his father might not fully understand his son’s achievement because of his condition.

He also described his father’s journey as part of a wider family achievement. Care home workers later showed Roy footage of his son entering Downing Street, an experience Burnham described as deeply meaningful.

The prime minister had previously referred to his father’s experience while pledging reforms to adult social care. He said he wanted to improve the system for people like his father and millions of others who depend on care services.

Burnham has described Roy as a former telephone engineer who raised him and his two brothers with love, laughter and support in Culcheth, Cheshire.

In his 2024 book, Look North, Burnham wrote about his parents’ determination to provide better opportunities for their children. He said neither parent attended university, but both were determined that their three sons would receive the opportunities they had not had.

Political leaders from across the UK have offered condolences to Burnham and his family.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the loss of a parent as an intensely painful experience, regardless of age.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey also expressed sympathy, recalling Burnham’s descriptions of his father as a wonderful man.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski said the loss was a moment that went beyond political differences and joined others in extending condolences to the prime minister and his family.