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Gary Neville insists he has ‘no intention’ of going into politics

The former footballer said he does not "need to be an MP" to support the Labour party.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 27th September 2022

Gary Neville has made his stance clear and insisted that he has absolutely “no intention” of going into politics in the future.

The former Manchester United and England footballer, turned manager, pundit, and commentator, made a guest starring appearance at the 2022 Labour Party Conference yesterday – which is currently being held in Liverpool – to give a speech at an event about the future of football.

The Bury-born 47-year-old also threw his support behind party leader Sir Keir Starmer.

But despite becoming a followed figure and somewhat of a voice on current political affairs since his retirement from the game, and most significantly within the last couple of years of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the leadership of several Conservative Prime Ministers, Neville has claimed that he still does not intend to venture into politics.

He also said that he was “not going to be tempted” to become an MP and stand in the upcoming by-election in West Lancashire.

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The former right back said he does not “need to be an MP” to support the Labour party.

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Neville told BBC Politics that a venture into politics is “something I’ve been asked about regularly over the last 12 – 18 months,” but clarified that he’s “got no intention of going into politics at all”, primarily because “I love what I do so much”.

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Gary Neville insists he has ‘no intention’ of going into politics / Credit: BBC Politics

He continued: “The reality is I love what I do so much. I love what I do in football, I love what I do in Greater Manchester with the businesses that I co-own, and I have to say I wouldn’t want to give that up as I feel as though I’m happy in what I’m doing.

“I want to continue doing the things that I’m doing locally in Greater Manchester.

“And I have to say that I feel politically motivated, but I can do as much, I think, for the Labour Party by being here as I can do being an MP.

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“I don’t think I need to be an MP to support.”

Featured Image – Keir Starmer (via Twitter)

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Davina McCall asks fans to ‘say a prayer’ as she undergoes brain surgery

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Davina McCall is undergoing surgery for a brain tumour. Credit: Instagram

Davina McCall has revealed she is undergoing surgery for a ‘quite big’ brain tumour.

The presenter and TV personality has shared a video on Instagram via her partner Michael Douglas updating fans on her diagnosis and asking them to ‘say a prayer’.

Davina, 57, said that the benign brain tumour was discovered during a health scan which she ‘thought she was going to ace’.

The 14mm colloid cyst tumour is rare, with only three in a million diagnoses, and ‘needs to come out because if it grows it would be bad’, she said in the pre-recorded video.

Michael shared the video to say that his partner would be ‘off grid’ while she recovers, adding: “She is in great shape and in very good hands.

“I’ll do the odd update from her account here for anyone interested. I’m sure she’ll read all the comments when she’s able to so feel free to send love. The support of people is amazingly powerful. Have a great day everyone. Michael xxx”

It’s expected that she will need to spend at least nine days in hospital following the surgery, a craniotomy that involves removing part of the skull to access the brain to take out the cyst.

Davina said in a video where she’s smiling bravely througout: “I’m handing the reins over to my surgeon, he knows what he’s doing and I’m going to do the getting better bit after. I’ll see you on the other side.”

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Featured image: Instagram, @davinamccall

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Man United legend Eric Cantona stuns Manchester artists with surprise visit to GRIT Studios

Danny Jones Danny Jones Eric Cantona surprises Manchester artists at GRIT Studios

Artists working at a Manchester studio were left speechless by a recent surprise visit from none other than Man United legend Eric Cantona.

The former United forward’s love for the city has never waned no matter how many years have gone by and as a lover of all things art, be it music, painting, acting or what he did with a football, he never fails to engage with local culture whenever he’s here.

He may not be based here anymore but the Frenchman – who knows a thing or two about art given his past acting jobs, newfound music career and previous showcases – still pays plenty of visits to 0161, including a recent unannounced one.

Cantona was back in the city centre this week to pay GRIT Studios resident Michael Browne, the artist who he collaborated with to create his National Football Museum exhibition last year, but the one thing Browne didn’t do was let the other people working in their city centre location he was coming.

GRIT Studios Manchester Stockport
Cantona pays Manchester art studio a surprise visit
Credit: GRIT Studios Manchester (supplied)

To be fair, anyone would double-take if they saw Eric Cantona walk into a room, so this was quite a memorable occasion for the unsuspecting artists.

After working on 2023’s From Moss Side to Marseille with Browne, the 58-year-old has been reimmersing himself in the world of Manchester art and there aren’t many places that epitomise that more than GRIT, who are based in Stockport with a second studio at Great Northern Warehouse.

Landing in Manchester from Paris, Cantona arrived in the late morning and ended up staying for over an hour, taking time to meet a number of artists and tour the space with co-founder John Macaulay.

Clearly impressed with their work and genuinely enthused by the sense of community within the local grassroots art scene, it was a special visit for everyone involved.

John, a die-hard Man United fan who has seen the Red Devils play in 25 countries before going on to set up GRIT Studios and much-loved Art Battle MCR with his wife Sophie, said: “It’s full circle for me having watched Eric play all over the world, it’s true honour that he’s flown in to see our talented artists.”

eric cantona back in manchester
eric cantona at manchester art studio
Credit: Supplied

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Artists spent time chatting with Eric and talking through their creative processes; those present included mosaic artist, Francis Thorrington, plein air (outdoor) artist, Sketch MCR – a.k.a. Ben Rock – painters Jodie Silverman, Helen Davies and Sophie Macaulay, as well as woodworker Gus Riddell.

Also a fellow United fan, Francis said he simply “couldn’t stop smiling the whole time” after Cantona described his work as wonderful.

Eric looked at home when he picked up and started strumming Chris Pollin’s hand-made guitars, which are handcrafted from driftwood and take hundreds of hours of work.

The enigmatic sports personality turned pop philosopher and cultural figure clearly enjoyed the visit. His final message was that it was refreshing to see a place where “art was for everyone” not just the elite.

As for Browne, he is sworn to secrecy on his next project but let’s just say you can expect some big announcements in the coming weeks. As for GRIT, you can visit one of their open days this Saturday, 16 November and make sure to check out their Stockport studio if you’re in the area.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — GRIT Studios (supplied)

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