British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s father, Kenneth Roy Burnham, has died at the age of 85 after living with Alzheimer’s disease.
Downing Street confirmed his death on Monday, September 14, with Burnham cancelling his official engagements for Monday and Tuesday.
Burnham had previously spoken publicly about his father’s condition while discussing social care reform in the UK.
“Why am I doing this? For my dad and millions of people like him up and down the country,” he said.
He had also spoken about the progression of his father’s condition, saying he believed Roy probably did not know that his son had become Prime Minister.
However, Burnham later revealed that staff at his father’s care home had tried to show him the moment his son entered Downing Street.
Speaking on the How to Fail with Elizabeth Day podcast, Burnham said he visited his father six days after becoming Prime Minister and was told that care home staff had gathered around Roy to watch the television.
The staff had placed Roy in front of the television and tried to draw his attention to the broadcast, with Burnham later being told that his father appeared to recognise the moment briefly.
“She said, ‘we all knew what time you might be coming up Downing Street so we got Roy in his chair, and we got the telly right in front of him, and six of us stood around him and all said ‘Roy, look’. And she said he turned and momentarily, they said, ‘we thought he knew’.”
Burnham has repeatedly cited his experience caring for his father while arguing for reforms to the UK’s social care system.
Roy had been living in a care home before his death.
