Andy Burnham has been accused by the Conservatives of risking his access to Chequers, the Prime Minister's official country residence, by rarely using it in favour of spending weekends at home in Manchester. The Chequers Estate Act, the statute governing use of the house, states that a Prime Minister who declines to make use of the property could see it passed instead to the Chancellor, the Foreign Secretary or the US Ambassador, meaning Burnham's apparent neglect of the estate could carry constitutional consequences.

Downing Street has denied that Burnham has abandoned the property, saying he has used it on occasion and is considering hosting a New Year's Eve party there, though a Government source acknowledged he is "barely" ever there. The 1,000-acre Buckinghamshire estate, a 16th-century mansion, has served as the Prime Minister's country residence since 1921, having been gifted to the nation in 1917. Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood criticised Burnham as "city-obsessed", arguing the estate was intended to give urban-based leaders a connection to rural life.