> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.opendemocracy.net/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Labour’s biggest donors backed Burnham for PM, disclosures reveal - URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/labours-biggest-donors-backed-burnham-for-pm-disclosures-reveal/ - Published: 2026-08-19T14:08:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-19T14:08:53.000Z - Description: Scandal-ridden think tank Labour Together and its donors swung behind Burnham after Makerfield by-election - Author: Ethan Shone - Tags: Labour, Andy Burnham, Donations, Labour Together, Lobbying Andy Burnham’s campaign to replace Keir Starmer was backed with more than £340,000 in large donations, primarily from figures associated with Keir Starmer’s leadership, including the scandal-ridden think tank recently rebranded as ThinkLabour. Much of the cash came from Lord Sainsbury, a New Labour minister who also funds Labour Together alongside a small number of high-net-worth mega donors, including Gary Lubner, a South African billionaire who also donated to Burnham’s campaign. Donors including a City consulting giant paid for or provided staff to work for the campaign; Burnham’s successful bid to take control of Labour was supported by a number of corporate lobbyists, some of whom have followed the former Manchester Mayor into Downing Street. An analysis of the new Prime Minister’s recent financial disclosures reveals that the Labour establishment, particularly its biggest financial backers, swung smoothly and decisively behind Burnham shortly after he won the Makerfield election. The disclosures lend weight to persistent rumours that party donors had been unhappy with the direction of Labour under Starmer for several months prior to his departure. ## Good Timing.’ On June 22 this year, the day that Keir Starmer announced his intention to stand down as Prime Minister, Burnham received donations-in-kind worth almost £140,00 from Lord Sainsbury, to cover the costs of “contractors working on \[Burnham’s\] campaign” and “working on policy and operations for \[Burnham’s\] office”. Lord Sainsbury also furnished the campaign with office space, and later topped up, providing a further £25,000 in late July. The timing suggests Burnham’s camp had ‘lined up’ support from one of Keir Starmer’s main backers prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement. Lord Sainsbury is Labour’s biggest ongoing donor, giving cash to the party itself and a number of campaign groups. He is one of the most significant backers of ThinkLabour, formerly Labour Together – he currently gives £125,000 to the organisation every quarter. ThinkLabour provided “staff and IT equipment” to Burnham’s campaign for 19 days, valued at more than £22,000, while ‘big four’ consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) sent a staffer to work in Burnham’s team in July, in an arrangement worth £16,500\. EY was one of several consultancies that seconded staff to Labour during Starmer’s leadership to work on policy. Secondments from the private sector were a major feature of Starmer’s leadership, with dozens of people brought in from lobbying firms and consultancies to assist the party with policymaking and campaigning before the 2024 election. Gary Lubner, a South African businessman and philanthropist who has also funded ThinkLabour, gave Burnham £25,000 towards costs including staffing and polling. Burnham’s former nighttime economy advisor Sacha Lord also backed his bid, giving more than £35,000 to cover staffing and other costs. Lord stepped down from his role as Burnham’s mayoral role in early 2025, after [an investigation by the Manchester Mill](https://manchestermill.co.uk/exclusive-documents-show-how-sacha/?ref=opendemocracy.net) revealed his involvement in a firm which failed to pay back Covid grants awarded by Arts Council England worth £400,000\. At the time, he was defended by Burnham, who said Lord had been treated “very unfairly”, adding: “This was a grant application in that very unprecedented time.” Lord has strongly disputed all claims of wrongdoing and threatened legal action against the Mill before later withdrawing the threat. The only trade union funding Burnham received came early in the process of his return to Westminster. Three unions donated to Burnham between February and April; the FBU gave £10,000 while the CWU and Unison each gave £5,000\. ## Labour Together and lobbying ties After missing out on selection for the Gorton and Denton by-election, Burnham’s path to Downing Street was cleared when backbencher Josh Simons resigned as MP for Makerfield, in a move engineered by Burnham’s camp. Simons was a rising star in Starmer’s Labour, appointed as a Cabinet Office minister less than a year after the 2024 election. He’d previously run Labour Together as it became one of the party's most influential organisations, providing vast amounts of cash and staffing support to favoured candidates ahead of the 2024 general election. Labour Together rebranded to Think Labour earlier this year following a series of scandals; the group failed to declare donations worth more than £700,000, and Simons had personally been involved in hiring a lobbying firm to spy on journalists who had reported on the group’s finances, including Paul Holden. It was the latter revelation which had forced Simons to resign as a minister in 2025\. Alison Phillips, a former journalist and later lobbyist with MHP Group, led Think Labour through its rebrand until she left to take up a role as Burnham’s deputy chief of staff, having worked on his leadership campaign team alongside another lobbyist, Hayden Munro, Burnham’s pick for No 10 political director. Since 2024, Munro has been working at Arden Strategies, the Labour-specialist lobbying firm led by former Scottish Labour leader – and former Burnham cabinet colleague – Jim Murphy. Luke Sullivan, a former Starmer advisor and lobbyist with City lobbying firm Headland, advised on the campaign and has since been brought into the Cabinet Office, serving as an adviser to Burnham and chief of staff to Anneliese Midgeley, the chief whip. They will all work under James Purnell, the Blair-era minister who has been a close friend of Burnham’s since they served together in government. Purnell too has significant ties to lobbyland: from mid-2024 he led the illustrious advisory and lobbying firm Flint Global, with its blue chip client list and [unparalleled access to government across almost every department. ](https://www.opendemocracy.net/burnham-aides-lobby-firm-met-government-38-times-but-who-did-it-work-for/) Burnham’s leadership campaign team was bolstered by several other corporate lobbyists. They include the chief executive of Lodestone Communications, Martha Dalton, director at Cavendish Consulting, Chris Lee and Hanbury Strategy’s Donjeta Miftari. Apart from Miftari, who has left Hanbury to become a Spad in Lucy Powell’s Department for Education, they have returned to their day jobs representing corporate clients. Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: “People will often retort that this is all legal - and that’s true. “But that’s the point - how can it be ok for a Prime Minister and their government to be so deeply compromised like this? Same band. Different lead singer.”