Andy Burnhams Dad Passes Away After Alzheimers Battle

Andy Burnham’s father Roy has died after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Downing Street has announced.

The prime minister has cancelled his engagements for today and tomorrow following his passing.

He has previously said his father’s illness meant he did not know his son had become PM.

Speaking to The Times in July, Burnham said: “That’s a sadness because he would be [proud].

“The way I look at it, it’s his achievement as well. A whole family achievement although he doesn’t know it.”

In a separate interview with the How To Fail podcast, Burnham revealed that staff at his father’s care home had put him in front of a television showing his son walking up Downing Street as prime minister for the first time.

He said: “I went into his care home the Sunday after I’d become prime minister, and one of the staff said ‘the manager wants to speak to you before you leave’.

“I went over and I spoke to her. She said ‘we all know what kind of time you might be coming up Downing Street, so we got Roy in his chair, and we got the telly right in front of him, and six of us all stood round him. And we all said look Roy, look’. She said ‘momentarily, we thought he knew’.”

Burnham also spoke about his father’s experience as he set out his plans to reform social care.

He promised to help “my dad and the millions like him” faced with the unfairness of the current system.