Following the local elections in May 2014, the Labour Party held all 96 seats on Manchester City Council. It was a one-party state without any real opposition.
Sir Richard Leese, as the party leader, and Sir Howard Bernstein, the council’s powerful chief executive, had been running Manchester for almost two decades and were now in complete control.
It was that same year that the city council signed a controversial profit-sharing property deal with Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the ultra-rich owners of Man City football club.
The deal is being looked upon with fresh eyes and some concern in light of the Premier League cheating scandal, after it emerged that the authority received less than £3m for building almost 1,800 homes under the agreement.
Because ADUG booked its profits offshore, the council can’t be sure that this definitely represents the full value they should have received.
‘Heartbreaking’ shot wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The winner has been crowned for the Natural History Museum’s annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, ahead of an exhibition of the photos opening to the public later in the week.
The title went to Federico Veronesi, from Italy, for his image, “The Aftermath”, showing an elephant lifting the body of her dead calf. The chair of the judging panel described it as an emotional “gut punch” and “heartbreakingly poignant”.
An elephant-themed image also triumphed in the ‘Animals in their Environment’ category with James Lewin’s shot, one of five British photographers to win a category.
Telling animals’ stories
The winning entry from Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year featured a dung beetle pushing its cargo, which judges praised for revealing “an entire story”.
Loren Elliott from the USA won the Photojournalist Story award with a shot of a coyote walking above the Bay of San Francisco.
Families forced to spend thousands on travel for sick kids
Children’s health specialists have recommended extra funding to help families get to hospitals for treatment, after one family spent £12,000 travelling to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Travel costs burden families
Experts from the hospital, which sees around 81,500 children and young people a year, are calling for funding to cover travel costs for all children with serious illnesses.
Laura Grimwade, whose 12-year-old son Woody has a rare autoimmune disease, estimates her family will have spent £15,000 travelling to and from Plymouth to hospitals in London by the time he is 18.
She said a fund would make “such a difference”.
Scheme should be extended, say doctors
- The Government has already committed £10m of travel funding to families of children with cancer.
- Doctors say this is a good start but other families should not miss out.
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The shocking human cost of UK’s killer kitchens revealed
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors found hundreds of breaches of health and safety law at more than 160 firms, with workers exposed to “billowing” silica dust, and issued an immediate ban to 50 firms.
What is silicosis?
The threat posed by the man-made stone comes from so-called “dry cutting” whereby particles are emitted in a fine dust as slabs are cut.
Engineered stone often contains as much as 95 per cent silica quartz – far higher than natural stone such as granite (about 30 per cent).
When engineered quartz dust is inhaled, it lodges in the lungs, triggering an aggressive immune response from the body.
Over time, scar tissue forms and spreads, slowly killing the lung. Many sufferers of silicosis remain asymptomatic until it is too late.
Hundreds of breaches
Unannounced visits by the HSE to workshops producing kitchen counters made from in-demand quartz have revealed hundreds of breaches of regulations designed to protect workers from inhaling toxic dust responsible for silicosis, an incurable and often fatal lung condition.
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Cases of deadly lung disease could reach 1,000
Almost 60 stonemasons in the UK have so far been diagnosed with silicosis, with many falling ill or dying in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Doctors believe the true number of silicosis cases is much higher and could reach as many as 1,000 people in a workforce of 7,000.
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The verdict from the HSE
Safety bosses said the inspection regime had revealed a “very mixed picture” of safety standards in the kitchen worktop industry.
Harvey Wild, HSE’s head of operations, said: “Where we’re finding things that are wrong, there isn’t just one thing wrong – there’s multiple things wrong. We’re taking a very strong enforcement line and people are getting multiple notices.”
3 min read
Why Trump is backing Putin over energy ceasefire deal
Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin “wants to make a deal more than” Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine as an “energy ceasefire” brokered over the weekend between Russia and Ukraine broke down overnight.
Ceasefire called into question
The US President announced a truce on striking energy facilities on Sunday, to the apparent surprise of both Russia and Ukraine.
While Ukraine claims no Russian sites have since been hit, they say Moscow has struck six plants, killing 33 people. Russia said yesterday that “contact is continuing”.
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What has the UK said about it?
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told other dignitaries at the Warsaw Security Forum today that they needed to “take seriously” the “full energy ceasefire” and that Putin should be held to to it.
He also told the assembled officials from Poland, Norway and Germany that the resolve of Europe is “being tested” by hybrid attacks on Nato countries, but that Russia is “not winning this war”.
Two ships hit off Bulgarian coast by Russian drones
- One ship sunk and another was badly damaged last night.
- President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, condemned the attack as “unacceptable”.
4 min read
How you can help boost dwindling hedgehog numbers
A “call to action” has been issued by researchers who found a dramatic drop in hedgehog populations since the 80s.
The study by the conservation group at the University of Cambridge found a 71 per cent drop in hedgehog populations between 1981 and 2023.
The number of rural areas where they live fell by 80 per cent between 2002 and 2023, but the numbers living in urban areas rose between 2004 and 2024.
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Why are hedgehogs in decline?
“The fact that they’re doing really badly should be a call for action”
Assistant research professor Silviu Petrovan said the hot, dry summer means hedgehogs will have less to eat than usual, as the slugs and worms they like thrive in wet weather.
The intensification of agriculture and increase in roads has caused the hedgehog’s habitat to shrink over the past few decades.
Is there any hope for the hedgehog?
The study combined data from surveys which were not specifically looking for hedgehogs, such as roadkill figures and garden birdwatches, so they may point an overly negative picture.
Gardens can act as refuges for hedgehogs, and conservationists advise leaving wild corners for the animals and small holes in fences so they can move freely. Replacing fences with hedges can also help, and pesticides should be avoided.
Terrorists could attack UK with bioweapons, warns MI5 chief
Terrorists could harness artificial intelligence to create destructive biological weapons, the head of MI5 warned today, as he launched a new spy-led AI Threat Assessment Centre to assess the risks of the emerging technology.
Head of MI5 gives annual address on nation’s security
“Many terrorists would dearly love to have some kind of capability of getting [a] biological or meteorological weapon. This is not yet manifest. But one risk is that AI could allow dangerous knowledge to get into their hands”
Sir ken mccallum, director general of mi5
New AI Threat Assessment Centre
- The centre will combine information from spies and open sources.
- The aim is to “seize the huge opportunities of Al and manage the risks thrown up by its misuse”.
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Burnham warned over Russian trolls
The head of MI5 warned the Prime Minister not to re-run old battles at risk of amplifying the Russian trolls and bots who sowed division by interfering with elections.
This came after Burnham told MPs yesterday that there was evidence Russia had interfered with the result of the 2019 general election.
Greatest threats to the UK
“Russia remains aggressor number one, as Putin’s Kremlin continues to lash out at the UK and its allies”
McCallum said Russia is “escalating” attempts at hybrid warfare, whilst avoiding “conventional conflict”.
He also mentioned Iran “attempting to expand” a similar hybrid campaign and “extreme right-wing terrorism” especially among young people.
Watch more from The i Paper
The i Paper understands Manchester council’s new generation of leaders – including chief executive Tom Stannard, who joined in 2025, and Garry Bridges, who was elected Labour leader last month – are now “seeking assurances” over the 2014 agreement.
It is a reassessment that could lead to fresh questions for Andy Burnham, who has been criticised for his reaction to the Man City saga and alleged closeness to the club’s Abu Dhabi owners.
Manchester’s current leaders do not believe there was any foul play in previous dealings with Abu Dhabi, but The i Paper understands that there is an acceptance that some property agreements which were made under previous administrations would not be made now, and a desire to put some distance between the parties going forward.
A previous council report, published in July, had already discovered “weaknesses in documentation, monitoring and assurance, particularly around historic overage arrangements”.
The repositioning has been echoed by Bev Craig, Labour leader of Manchester City Council from 2021 until August this year when she replaced Burnham as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
When asked about deals with ADUG on BBC Radio Manchester last week, Craig stated that she “wasn’t around in the decision-making of the time” but praised the wider investment which has helped deliver new facilities to the city, including a library, leisure centre and sixth form college.
Craig said she has never seen any evidence of “wrongdoing” but added: “There are no live deals on the table with the GMCA [Greater Manchester Combined Authority] or Manchester City Council that take us into the future.
“I’m pretty assured in terms of what I’ve seen, but it isn’t something that’s relevant to the future.”
More awkward questions over Abu Dhabi links
Critics say Burnham’s judgement should be called further into question by the fact that his former colleagues in Manchester are now trying to distance themselves from the Abu Dhabi owners.
When first asked by the BBC about the consequences of Man City’s financial cheating, Burnham said he would be “concerned” if the owners walked away from the club, prompting accusations of political interference.
He later backtracked, insisting that “no one is above the rules” and that those found to have broken them should face “appropriate consequences”.
Man City strongly denies the findings of an independent commission, which said the club is guilty of more than 100 offences of breaching financial rules and has submitted an appeal.
But Burnham’s opponents have leapt on his initial comments.
Hannah Spencer, the Green Party MP for Gorton and Denton, told The i Paper that Burnham has “serious questions to answer about why he seems so keen to back Manchester City’s billionaire owners” and raised concerns about the deals for “luxury high-rises” that were approved under Burnham’s time as mayor.
Burnham has said he will publish all details of his dealings with Man City in his previous mayoral role.
Details of the council deal now under the spotlight
The 2014 property venture between ADUG and the council has become one of Manchester’s most successful developers.
Named Manchester Life, the company has built around 1,800 flats around Ancoats, a former industrial slum now often described as one of the “coolest neighbourhoods in the world”.
But critics say the council gave away land too cheaply to ADUG and didn’t get enough in return.
According to details of the deal shared with The i Paper, the council was not entitled to receive any “overage” payments – extra cash given to a landowner after the value of the property has increased – for more than 10 years.
A “collaboration agreement”, signed in 2015, also said that the council would not be paid until ADUG had recovered all its costs, plus an 8 per cent annual return on the first phase of the development, and 10 per cent on the second phase of development.
As such, Manchester council only received the first overage payment of £2.9m in the past two years. It is understood a second payment is currently being calculated.
Under the terms of the deal, Manchester council also agreed to give ADUG “first dibs” on buying up any public land within a defined area of the city – an arrangement which has been described as a “sweetheart deal”.
An internal review
The council did receive more than just the overage payments. At least £5.2m was generated from the land it sold to the joint venture and a further £17.6m has been raised in council tax income from Manchester Life properties.
However, it is understood that commentary on the deal in the fallout of the Man City cheating scandal has prompted the council’s leaders to carry out an internal review.
A source said that given the “current speculation” around Man City owners’ dealings with leaders in Manchester, the council’s current leadership is “seeking assurances” on deals made “before their time”.
Bernstein died in 2024 and Leese has come out in his defence of both the deal and Man City’s owners more generally, insisting the club will be proven innocent of breaching financial rules and that their investment was crucial to the regeneration of Manchester.
Both Bernstein and Leese accepted positions at Man City after stepping down from their council roles.
Leese, who is honorary president of Man City football club, has claimed that the 2014 ADUG deal was signed at a time when there was little interest in developing land in Ancoats.
Addressing the idea that land was given away too cheaply, he told the BBC: “The point is, the investment from Abu Dhabi is what created the value.
“That deal allowed development to be kick-started – particularly in the Ancoats area.
“All of this was documented and went through reports that went through the council’s due processes.
“I think it has been demonstrated that the deal was a good deal and a good deal for Manchester.”
A spokesperson for Manchester Life said: “We’re proud of what Manchester Life has achieved in Ancoats and New Islington. Established in 2014 in response to the city’s housing and regeneration priorities, Manchester Life brought long-term investment to an area where major residential developments had stalled, accelerating housing delivery and helping to restore market confidence.
“The model combined the council’s contribution of land at market value and strategic oversight with ADUG’s private investment and development expertise. ADUG provided all development equity and assumed the associated risks, while the council retained the opportunity to share in additional development value through overage arrangements.”