Andy Burnham pulls out of Edinburgh Festival Fringe show

The Stand comedy club said it was “incredibly disappointed” the sold-out show will be cancelled and full refunds will be made available.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said it was arranged before he took office and he had hoped to be able to honour that commitment.

"Unfortunately, the demands of being Prime Minister mean he is no longer able to attend,” the spokesman said.

“He is disappointed and is grateful to the organisers and ticket holders for their understanding."

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In an email to customers, The Stand said: “We are very sorry to inform you that Andy Burnham has pulled out of his 'In Conversation' date with us at The Stand on the 19th August.

“This is due to matters beyond our control and The Stand in conjunction with promoters - Carnation Productions are incredibly disappointed this event is not going ahead.

“We are processing full refunds inclusive of booking fees (and postage if applicable).”

It added: “We realise this may be a huge inconvenience to customers and would like to offer you an exclusive 30 per cent discount to our compilation shows that day (19th) and to any other In Conversation With shows that we have on the run.”

The Scotsman asked Mr Burnham’s team last month if he would still be attending the event and received a noncommittal response.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester became Prime Minister on July 20 following the resignation of Sir Keir Starmer.

His visited Scotland during his first week in office to attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

During his first in-person meeting with John Swinney, he told the First Minister a second referendum on independence was “off limits”.

"The Prime Minister stated up front that another referendum on independence was off limits because it would take our focus away from growing the economy and helping families with the cost of living,” a Downing Street spokesperson said on July 23.