Mayor Andy Burnham has penned a letter accusing the Premier League of malpractice and “abuse of process” after they issued Everton with a points deduction for breaches of FFP earlier this month.
A lifelong Everton fan, the Mayor of Greater Manchester has lodged an official letter of complaint against the footballing body following his team’s punishment on 18 November, which included being docked an unprecedented 10 points in the table, leaving them in joint last place with Sheffield United.
The Aintree-born politician has now joined several others in contesting the top flight’s decision on the grounds that they decided to implement “new rules in the middle on an ongoing case” and that the independent commission is “flawed” in general.
Sharing his official complaint to the Premier League on social media, the 53-year-old equated their conduct during the investigation to an “abuse of process and regulatory malpractice”.
I am not saying @Everton do not have a case to answer. They do.
What I am saying is the process which led to the 10-point deduction is flawed.
The ruling should be declared null and void and a new process started following agreement on a sanctions policy with the 20 clubs.
As the Labour MP details in the lengthy statement, the sanctions policy was changed as recently August (months after the investigation into Everton’s finances first began) and argues that the one “should have had one in place before it commenced these proceedings and established this Commission”.
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Burnham goes on to concede that while the Toffees must still answer for irregularities in their bookkeeping — the club largely attributing their losses to post-pandemic recovery and the money invested in developing the new stadium — the points deduction should be “null and void” until a full agreement on due process has been agreed by all clubs.
To a similar effect, he also asked whether at any point the sanctions regime has been submitted to the 20 teams and, if so, why they haven’t been consulted before now.
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He also questioned why their £20 million breach of profitability and sustainability rules is worth a 10-point deduction but going to administration, i.e. unable to pay your way and creditors full stop, is deemed to be worth nine in comparison.
Everton fans have unsurprisingly left incensed by the Premier League’s decision with thousands of supporters protesting before their 3-0 loss to Manchester United on Sunday.
One thing that Andy Burnham’s letter doesn’t touch is also the Man City of it all, with countless football fans across the questioning raising an eyebrow as to why Everton have been charged but the blue side of Manchester has not despite their 115 charges.
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Although it is obviously a very complex case that won’t be resolved any time soon, in a nutshell, here are a few reasons why:
Many fans are wondering why there are still no updates on the club in the lighter shade of blue. 💰
Featured Image — Mayor of Greater Manchester (via X)/Everton (via Instagram)
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Police ‘delighted’ after Manchester man is jailed for running county lines drug operation
Emily Sergeant
A Manchester man has been jailed for his part in running a county lines drug operation that exploited vulnerable people.
Following an investigation by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) County Lines Team, John Joyce, of Stuart Street in Manchester, was identified as operating a county lines drugs network that supplied Class A drugs across Greater Manchester, and was subsequently jailed for possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin.
The investigation – which uncovered extensive evidence of drug supply – found that Joyce was the controller of the “CEE” line – a mobile number used to distribute crack cocaine and heroin.
Among that ‘extensive’ evidence was more than 31,000 text messages and 8,700 calls linked to drug dealing activity, and ‘flare’ messages advertising drugs for sale sent in bulk, as well as forensic analysis linking Joyce to two personal mobile numbers and vehicles used during the operation.
CCTV footage was also uncovered showing Joyce purchasing top-up vouchers for the drugs line.
#JAILED | Man sentenced to over 5 years in prison for running county lines drug operation
Our County Lines Team investigation uncovered extensive evidence of drug supply & found he was the controller of the “CEE” line, a mobile number used to distribute crack cocaine & heroin pic.twitter.com/WAdej9lLxU
And the final nail in the coffin was that a search of the 28-year-old’s Manchester apartment uncovered more than 460g of crack cocaine, heroin, drug paraphernalia, and cash.
Joyce fled the UK and headed to Dubai in an attempt to evade justice, but was arrested upon his return at Manchester Airport in October 2025.
“This case demonstrates our commitment to dismantling county lines networks that exploit vulnerable people and blight communities,” explained Detective Constable Josh Claxton, of GMP’s County Lines Team.
“Joyce’s operation was significant and his sentence reflects the harm caused by class A drug supply in Greater Manchester.
“He evaded justice for a long time, but now we are delighted to have locked him up so he can no longer cause damage to people’s lives.”
Joyce has been jailed for five years and three months after appearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court this week (Tuesday 16 December).
Featured Image – GMP
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Popular bar chain The Alchemist to rewind back to 2010 with cocktails and dishes for £6 next month
Emily Sergeant
One of the UK’s most popular bar chains is celebrating its sweet 16th birthday next month by winding back to 2010.
Money is always tight in January, right?
Once Christmas is over with, and so is the festive feasting and drinking, many like to use the first month of the new year to lay low and save some money back up – which is why The Alchemist is launching a limited-edition ‘2010 Revival Menu’, bringing back some of its most iconic early cocktails and dishes – all at their original prices from 16 years ago.
For the whole month, you can enjoy the curated throwback selection starting from £6, which i perfectly timed for a month of saving without sacrificing going out.
The Alchemist is rewinding back to 2010 with cocktails and dishes for £6 / Credit: The Manc Group
The 2010 Revival Menu includes the return of the fan-favourite White Chocolate Raspberry Martini for £6 on the cocktail menu, which was an early Alchemist staple, alongside other fan-favourites like the Colour Changing One and Virgin Pornstar, both for £6 again.
When it comes to food dishes for £6, you can tuck into a selection of different refreshing salads, while stretching your budget up to £10 will get you things like Chicken in a Basket, a Cheeseburger, and Fish and Chips.
Other iconic Alchemist cocktails returning for a fraction of the price next month include the popular Smoky Old Fashioned, and Dead Read Zombie – both for £8.
The Alchemist opened its original bar in Manchester‘s swanky Spinningfields district all the way back in 2010, and quickly became a popular and stylish destination with its high ceilings and industrial features, and has since developed into a much larger chain – with not only more Manchester destinations, but others across the UK too.
Danny Jones -
27th November 2023 
