Andy Burnham’s dad Roy dies after battle with Alzheimer’s – as Prime Minister cancels all engagements

PRIME Minister Andy Burnham has cancelled all engagements after the death of his father Roy, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. The PM has shelved all his plans today and tomorrow following the tragic news, Downing Street said. The Prime Minister has cancelled all engagements today and tomorrow after Roy tragically died Credit: AP Andy Burnham with his father Roy and mum Eileen in 2016 Credit: LNP Mr Burnham has spoken about his father’s illness which meant that he sadly 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. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Mr Burnham previously said: “Millions of people are going without their basic needs being met because the system isn’t good enough to meet their basic daily needs, so that’s the first thing. “Second thing, you have millions of family carers, people like my mum, who try to care for my dad at home, who in the end are actually the main issue. “We discovered as a family, my mum was sinking under the pressure of trying to make it work when the care system couldn’t make it work for her.” The PM had been due to host business leaders in No 10 on Monday afternoon. Burnham’s father was diagnosed with prostate cancer towards the end of Covid. Following the cancer, Roy sadly developed advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Most read in The Sun