A Manchester drag artist has addressed a news story which claimed Tories had been ‘thrown out’ of the New Union Hotel, a bar in the Gay Village.
Albie Amankona, an LGBT+ Conservatives board member, told GB News that a group of Conservative members were asked to leave the establishment on Princess Street.
The Conservative Party are in town this week for the Conservative Party Conference, which has seen huge barriers put up around Manchester Central.
And according to Mr Amankona, their post-conference celebrations took a turn after they were ‘thrown out’ of the beloved Gay Village bar.
He added: “A drag act was on making rude and derogatory comments about Conservatives and Suella Braverman, making them feel very uncomfortable.”
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He also reported that ‘some of the other patrons in this venue were being rude, aggressive and unkind’.
Another party member stated: “I was one of the people thrown out of this bar – for no other reason than being a @Conservatives. I’m a proud gay man and a proud Conservative. No one should be treated like this @LGBTCons.”
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But now a drag artist who frequents the stage of the New Union has clapped back at GB News for ‘broadcasting a story filled with lies and damaging allegations’.
According to Lara Stoned, the allegedly ‘unkind’ actions were some patrons ‘chanting “Trans Rights”.’
They also said that the group of Tories ‘threw an object’ at a New Union staff member.
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they were in fact politely asked to leave when they arrived, but then continued to be disrespectful, aggressive and dangerous to the staff AND customers of the establishment. anyone who challenges the rights of my community is not welcome in my home. https://t.co/HOgC4u0WDa
Lara Stoned posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “@GBNEWS How DARE you broadcast a story filled with lies and damaging allegations towards the community within Manchester.
“Don’t you realise those kind of remarks HINDER and THREATEN the livelihood of self employed queer performers and queer venues. Shame on you.”
They added: “They were in fact politely asked to leave when they arrived, but then continued to be disrespectful, aggressive and dangerous to the staff AND customers of the establishment. Anyone who challenges the rights of my community is not welcome in my home.”
And Manchester’s New Union Hotel has received a flurry of support from people since the alleged incident took place.
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy… and now it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Daisy Jackson -
3rd October 2023 
