Andy Burnham confirms he is boycotting The Sun over Hillsborough
Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed that he is boycotting the right-wing Sun Newspaper over its coverage of the Hillsborough tragedy. […]
Prime Minister Andy Burnham confirmed that he is boycotting the right-wing Sun Newspaper over its coverage of the Hillsborough tragedy.
There had been reports last month that Burnham would refuse to give interviews to the Sun, in a marked contrast to his predecessor Keir Starmer.
On the eve of Labour conference, Burnham confirmed that he would be boycotting the Sun and will be taking his responsibilities to the Hillsborough families seriously.
When the Sun covered the Hillsborough disaster it ran a front page story headlined “The Truth”, which falsely blamed Liverpool football fans for a crowd crush that caused the deaths of 97 people, which is now recognised as having been part of a concerted cover-up of policing failures. Ever since, the newspaper is still widely boycotted in the city.
Burnham told BBC North West: “I take my responsibilities to the Hillsborough families and everybody who’s been involved in the campaign. To be honest, I am going to do my own communications, I don’t want to work in the way that perhaps people have done in the past by doing things for certain”
He was asked: “But will you write for The Sun and will you give them interviews?”
Burnham replied: “I’m not going to go into my precise media arrangements, but it’s clear what my position it”
Pushed on what that position was, Burnham replied: “I won’t be doing any special interviews, no”
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