Burnham thanks well-wishers following his father's death

News imageBBC Head and shoulders shot of Burnham, who is smiling in between his mother and father, with his arms draped over their shoulders. He is wearing a black suit, white shirt and grey tie. His mother stands on the left with white hair and a black and white paisley shirt over a black top. His father stands o the right wearing a black jumper over a blue and white open-necked shirt. BBC
Andy Burnham hugs his parents Eileen and Roy in 2016, when he was selected as the Labour candidate for the Greater Manchester mayoral race

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has thanked party leaders for their support following the death of his father, Roy, on Monday.

All opposition leaders sent condolences to him as he cancelled engagements earlier this week.

Burnham had previously spoken about the fact his dad did not know he had become prime minister, due to his advanced Alzheimer's.

Posting on social media, he thanked "everyone who has shared a kind message about my dad, particularly the leaders of the other parties".

Burnham added: "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."

He has described how his father, a former telephone engineer, had raised him with "laughter, love and support" alongside his mother Eileen in Culcheth, Cheshire.

In July, Burnham spoke about his father's condition and said it had influenced his drive to reform adult social care in England.

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