𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has cancelled engagements on Monday and Tuesday following the death of his father Roy, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Mr Burnham had been set to host business leaders in No 10 on Monday afternoon.

He was expected to chair the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning followed by a speech at the Trade Union’s Congress in Brighton.

In a statement, Downing Street said: “The PM has cancelled engagements for today and tomorrow due to the passing of his father, Roy.”

The Labour leader has spoken about his father’s illness, which meant that he did not know his son had become Prime Minister.

The experience is one of the driving factors in the Prime Minister’s aim to reform the social care system.

In an interview on the eve of taking office in July, Mr Burnham revealed the extent of his father’s illness.

He said his father, 86, was unaware that he was on the brink of power.

Mr 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.”

Kenneth Roy Burnham, known as Roy, worked as a telephone engineer for BT.

In a major speech about reform of social care later that month, Mr Burnham promised to help “my dad and the millions like him” faced with the unfairness of the current system.

His proposals include accelerating plans for a National Care Service, improving pay, training and career progression for care workers, and launching cross-party talks aimed at addressing the long-term challenges facing social care.

An estimated 982,000 people are believed to have dementia in the UK, according to data from organisations like the Alzheimer’s Society.

In 2024, 76,894 people died from Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias in the UK, making it the country’s single leading cause of death.