Manchester has officially been knocked out of the running to be the host city of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
The BBC has provided an update on the bidding process for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest today, and has now confirmed that two cities, Glasgow and Liverpool, remain in competition to be the 2023 Host City.
But after what the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has called a “detailed assessment process”, these seven cities have been reduced to two, and further discussions will now take place with officials from Glasgow and Liverpool to determine who will get the hosting nod.
A final decision will be made “within weeks”.
And then there were two…
We can now reveal that #Eurovision 2023 will be hosted in either Glasgow or Liverpool 🥳
Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor for the Eurovision Song Contest, has thanked the competing cities for their cooperation over the past few months.
“The EBU would like to warmly thank all the seven British cities that put so much effort and enthusiasm into their bids to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine.
“We very much appreciate their cooperation and the quality and creativity of all the bids received.
“The Eurovision Song Contest is the most complex TV production in the world with very specific logistical requirements to accommodate around 40 delegations and thousands of crew, volunteers, press and fans, and we’re confident our final two cities are the best placed to meet this challenge.
“We look forward to continuing our discussions to choose the one which will stage the world’s largest music event next May.”
Manchester is officially out of the running to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 / Credit: Flickr
Responding to the announcement that Manchester is out of the running, Cllr Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council – said: “We are of course disappointed not to be chosen to host next year’s Eurovision, but we know that the successful city will put on an incredible event on behalf of our friends in Ukraine.
“Good luck to Liverpool and Glasgow.
“We can’t wait to see what the chosen city has in store for the show next year.”
Manchester has not been chosen to host Eurovision 2023 😔🥺😢
But we wish a massive good luck to the final shortlisted cities Liverpool and Glasgow! pic.twitter.com/d5qSF3SyRL
Cllr Pat Karney also added: “Congratulations to both great cities. I am disappointed but am sure one day Manchester will host Eurovision.
“We can bid with our new stadium.”
Featured Image – Corinne Cumming (via EBU)
News
Drinks prices for Manchester Oasis gigs announced – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised
Daisy Jackson
The prices of drinks at Heaton Park for the five huge Manchester Oasis shows have been released in advance.
With the Gallagher brothers reuniting on stage in their hometown for the first time this weekend (and then again next week), it’s a huge moment for our city.
Those lucky enough to snag tickets have already forked out a small fortune to witness this moment in history (still scarred from the dynamic pricing debacle).
And most of us were probably bracing to spend another small fortune on beers at the Oasis Manchester gigs.
But you might be pleasantly surprised at the drinks prices up at Heaton Park for Oasis Live ’25.
It’s now been confirmed that pints of lager and cider will be just £6.50.
Before you turn your nose up, remember that pints at our two arenas – the AO Arena and Co-op Live are now sitting around the £9 mark.
Prices for other drinks, like wine and spirits, we’ll have to wait until Friday to see.
Heaton Park will also be the home of the ‘largest beer garden’ and the longest bars in the city for the Oasis reunion.
With a major heatwave predicted for the first shows, fans are being encouraged to stay hydrated (on WATER, not beer, please).
Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water up to 500ml in with you, but it must be collapsible plastic.
Solid plastic and metal containers will be rejected on safety grounds.
There’s a free water point on site where you can fill up your bottles again.
Oasis will perform at Heaton Park in Manchester on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July.
Dates announced as resident doctors prepare to stage strikes this month
Emily Sergeant
Resident doctors in England have voted to stage strike action over pay, and the dates for the industrial action have now been confirmed.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says doctors have ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a vote published today revealed that 90% of resident doctors have voted in favour of a potential return to industrial action.
It comes after the ballot – which ran from 27 May until 7 July – saw a turnout of 55% members, with almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast.
26,766 of those votes endorsed the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay, while just under 3,000 voted against it.
The result means that resident doctors have now secured a fresh mandate to stage industrial action when they choose from now until January 2026.
BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs, Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt, said that, while no doctor took the possibility of striking lightly, a clear majority of members felt that they had ‘no other choice’ given the ongoing failures to restore pay.
They added that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has the power to ‘make the right decision’ on pay, and urged the Government to return to negotiations ‘as soon as possible’.
It’s now been confirmed that resident doctors will stage a full walk out from 7am on Friday 25 July until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.
These upcoming strikes come after resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors, until 2024 – in England participated in an unprecedented 11 rounds of strike action after negotiations with the previous Conservative Government over restoring pay repeatedly stalled.
“Doctors have spoken and spoken clearly – they won’t accept that they are worth a fifth less than they were in 2008,” the committee co-chairs said. “Our pay may have declined but our will to fight remains strong.
“Doctors don’t take industrial action lightly, but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away.
“The next move is the Government’s – will it repeat the mistakes of its predecessor? Or will it do the right thing and negotiate a path to full pay restoration and the restoration of doctors’ confidence in our profession’s future?”
Emily Sergeant -
27th September 2022 
