A new survey has revealed that Manchesteris the top rated city to replace London as the capital of the UK.
Manchester has got a few new titles to its name in recent weeks, having been crowned the best UK city for retail and leisure in 2022, and just last week being named by The Economist as the 28th most liveable city in the world in the ‘Global Liveability Index 2022’ – being the highest-rated UK city on the list, and beating out big hitters like Barcelona, New York city, and our own country’s capital in the process.
But it looks like the titles just won’t stop coming for our city.
According to a YouGov poll conducted for Times Radio this week, one in six people – around 16% – are in support of moving the UK capital away from London, and among those who wanted a new capital city, more than half backed Manchester to take over.
From all the respondents who voted in the poll, even those who did not support changing the capital, Manchester beat out all the competition to take the top spot overall on the new rankings – with 25% of those polled picking the city, followed by 19% for Birmingham, and 17% for Edinburgh.
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Out of those people polled who supported the idea of a new UK capital, an impressive 55% of respondents voted for Manchester.
Nandy was talking to me about levelling-up for a discussion about moving the capital out of London.@YouGov poll for @TimesRadio shows 16% support changing the UK’s capital city. 20% Labour 2019 voters. 21% in North.
Trailing behind Manchester, 42% picked fellow North West city Liverpool, 39% went for Birmingham, and 37% chose to go for Leeds, while other major UK cities Newcastle, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff, Cambridge, Portsmouth, and Belfast all also received votes.
The survey comes after a think-tank just yesterday said Greater Manchester would need “tens of billions of pounds of investment”, as well as more graduates working in the region and significantly more employment opportunities in order to level it up.
It also comes as Lisa Nandy, Labour MP for Wigan, discussed this ongoing levelling up debate with The Times.
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When asked about moving the prospect of moving the capital city away from London, Nandy comically said: “Just not Wigan is my plea. I don’t want a load of lords in ermine and a load of MPs sitting in my local pub.”
She also discussed the idea that reopening popular nightclubs may help struggling towns, adding that Wigan particularly misses its old northern soul past.
Manchester is the top rated city to replace London as the capital of the UK / Credit: Mangopear Creative (via Unsplash)
Nandy continued: “Every single town has lost a nightclub that they feel very strongly about, that was part of our history and our heritage.
“Live music venues that used to sustain bands like the Verve who come from Wigan, who could gig and play around Wigan, not just have to travel into Manchester to do it, those things have disappeared in the last couple of decades.
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“So there is a serious point behind this.
“Because as well as providing those opportunities for young people from every part of the country and the culture and the history and the identity that goes with it, it means that we’re reflected in the national story.”
Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
28th June 2022 
