According to the Guardian newspaper, an email sent by then Conservative Party strategist Dominic Cummings revealed that Education Secretary Michael Gove’s advisers exerted pressure on civil servants to "give cash without delay" to charity the New Schools Network as part of the free schools programme.
The charity was subsequently given a £500,000 grant and became the organisation offering advice and guidance to those wanting to set up free schools.
Reacting to the reports, Burnham said: "This email starts to lift the lid on the murky world of Michael Gove's free school programme. It appears that cheques are handed out like confetti to certain favoured projects while mainstream schools are left to crumble with their building projects cancelled.
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