Andy Burnham will not appear at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe after withdrawing from an in-conversation event two weeks out from the date.
The Stand comedy club, which had sold out the 19 August slot, said it was incredibly disappointed and is refunding ticket holders in full.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the booking predated his arrival in Downing Street and that Burnham had wanted to keep to it. The job got in the way. “Unfortunately, the demands of being Prime Minister mean he is no longer able to attend,” the spokesman said, adding that Burnham is disappointed and grateful to organisers and ticket holders for their understanding.
The Stand told customers by email that the cancellation was down to matters outside its control, and that it and promoters Carnation Productions were both unhappy about it. Refunds cover booking fees and postage where that applies. Acknowledging the inconvenience, the venue offered ticket holders a 30% discount on its compilation shows that same evening and on any other In Conversation With dates across the run.
The signs were there. The Scotsman put the question to Burnham’s team last month and got no firm answer either way.
Burnham took office on 20 July after Sir Keir Starmer resigned, moving to Downing Street from the Greater Manchester mayoralty. Scotland featured early in his diary: he travelled up during his first week for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
That trip also produced his first face-to-face meeting with John Swinney, at which he ruled out a second independence referendum. A Downing Street spokesperson said on 23 July that Burnham had raised it himself at the outset, telling the First Minister another referendum was off limits because it would pull attention away from growing the economy and helping households with living costs.
