Andy Burnham's government has said it is sticking to a policy of refusing to engage with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) that it has inherited from previous governments. But a Middle East Eye analysis can reveal that the "non-engagement" policy appears to be a phantom, as no written records of an actual policy appear to exist. No relevant government department has taken responsibility for it - documents seen by Middle East Eye reveal that these departments say they do not hold any information on the alleged policy. It is unclear which department is even officially responsible for the declared policy, or what the official justification for the boycott of the MCB is. But the boycotted MCB is the largest umbrella body claiming to represent British Muslim organisations, with more than 500 affiliates.