Roy Burnham had been suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has shared his gratitude for messages of support after the death of his father, saying it “means a great deal”.
He said his family has been “helped through this difficult time by people’s warmth and compassion” and especially pointed to messages from political leaders from other parties.
Downing Street announced the death of the Prime Minister’s father Roy, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, earlier this week, and Mr Burnham cancelled several engagements in the wake of the news.
We are grateful to everyone who has shared a kind message about my dad, particularly the leaders of the other parties.
My family and I have been helped though this difficult time by people’s warmth and compassion. It means a great deal to us and we wanted to say thank you.
— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) September 16, 2026
He posted on X on Wednesday: “We are grateful to everyone who has shared a kind message about my dad, particularly the leaders of the other parties.
“My family and I have been helped through this difficult time by people’s warmth and compassion. It means a great deal to us and we wanted to say thank you.”
Mr Burnham has previously 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.
