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Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced the cancellation of his official duties on Monday and Tuesday following the passing of his father, Roy, who had been living with Alzheimer’s disease. Among the engagements affected was a scheduled meeting with business leaders at Downing Street on Monday, as well as Burnham’s planned address at the trade union TUC Congress in Brighton on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, in July, Burnham publicly discussed his father’s battle with Alzheimer’s, revealing how it shaped his commitment to reforming adult social care across England. At that time, he shared that his father’s condition had progressed to the point where he was unaware that his son had become prime minister. In an interview with *The Times* shortly before assuming office, Burnham expressed his sorrow, stating, “It’s a sadness, because he would be [proud].” He went on to describe the achievement as not solely his own but also a family accomplishment, adding, “The way I look at it, it’s his achievement as well. A whole family achievement, although he doesn’t know it.”
Burnham has also spoken fondly about the care his father received, noting that care home staff had shown Roy footage of his son entering Downing Street, an experience the prime minister described as “wonderful.” Highlighting his motivation for pushing reforms, Burnham said he wants to support “my dad and the millions like him.” He emphasized how impressed he has been by the dedication and expertise of the care workers who supported his father during his illness.
Reflecting on his upbringing, Burnham shared insights into his family life, describing his father, a former telephone engineer, as someone who raised him and his siblings with “laughter, love and support” alongside their mother, Eileen, in Culcheth, Cheshire. In his 2024 book *Look North*, Burnham recalled that neither of his parents attended university, though they might have had they “grown up in a different time and different place,” a fact that fueled their determination for their three sons to pursue higher education. Following the news, leaders from opposition parties expressed their condolences. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch remarked on the deep pain of losing a father, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described Roy as “a wonderful man.” Green party leader Zack Polanski acknowledged the moment as one “that transcend[s] politics,” joining the nation in offering sympathy to the Burnham family
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