Unlike the fog-hazed backdrop of China’s “silicon valley”, the Premier League trophy next to Andy Burnham glistens.
It is adorned with Manchester City’s famed sky-blue ribbons and sits on a podium listing the dates of their league title crowns.
The latest of those, the 2017/18 title, had been won months before in a record-breaking season. Like all the club’s other Premier League wins, it was secured on the back of millions of pounds investment by their Adu Dhabi owners.
Holborn by-election results as Polanski vows to ‘carry on’
Labour has held former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s old seat of Holborn and St Pancras, with Zack Polanski vowing to carry on as Green Party leader despite losing to Sagal Abdi-Wali.
Greens increase vote share but fall short of majority
The Greens increased their vote share by about 23 per cent compared to the 2024 general election result, when Starmer held the seat. However, Polanski ultimately fell short of victory by over 3,000 votes in Thursday’s 15-candidate by-election, which saw a 38.76 per cent voter turnout.
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The results
- Labour’s Abdi-Wali won with 12,292 votes (45.17 per cent).
- Green leader Polanski earned 8,928 votes (32.81 per cent).
- The Tories’ Ewan Cameron was third (1,922 votes, 7.06 per cent).
- Reform UK’s Peter Newman came fourth (1,612 votes, 5.92 per cent).
What next for the Greens?
Polanski vowed to “carry on as leader of the Green Party”, saying “of course I can” when asked about a potential leadership threat following his loss. However, he conceded that it would ultimately be up to members to decide if continues in his role during a scheduled leadership election next year.
The Greens described the result as “incredible” for the party, adding: “We are here to stay and just getting started.”
Watch: Polanski reacts to defeat
Victory a testament to diversity, says Abdi-Wali
“I hope this moment also says something about who gets to belong, for people who look like me…our diversity is a strength”
Labour’s winning candidate and leader of Camden Council spoke about the area’s “cohesion” in her victory speech. Meanwhile, party chair Bridget Philipson said: “Britain is backing Labour’s message of hope.”
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What next for Andrew after police warrant legal claim win
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has won a legal challenge against Thames Valley Police, but the former prince’s court battle is set to continue.
New developments
- At a hearing on Thursday, police accepted the search warrants used to raid the ex-prince’s residences in February were “unlawful”.
- But the force has retained the material seized under the warrants while legal proceedings continue into whether it can be used in ongoing investigations.
- Warrants being quashed “does not bring an investigation to an end, or mean the whole investigation was unlawful,” the judge said.
- The wrong type of warrant was used by police, the judge ruled.
- It did not include the power to seize documents under legal privilege.
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What happens now?
Thames Valley Police still hope to use materials seized from the 66-year-old’s addresses in the ongoing criminal investigation into him over alleged misconduct in public office.
Thames Valley Police made an application in June which would allow them to keep the evidence taken during the searches. Mountbatten-Windsor opposes the force’s bid to retain the evidence, with a hearing in the case set to be held privately next year.
How does Andrew live now?
While isolated publicly from the Royal Family, Mountbatten-Windsor is said to be leading a comfortable lifestyle “of the upper echelons” at Marsh Farm, his new home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, whilst footing substantial legal bills. How is he staying afloat?
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A much-anticipated Government review, the first of three aimed at cutting the welfare bill, has found the conditions are on the rise as more young people seek support.
Have ADHD and autism been overdiagnosed in recent years?
The Government’s review by Professor Peter Fogey, published today, concluded ADHD and autism are not overdiagnosed “at scale” but a growing number of people are incentivised to seek a diagnosis as the main way to access support. It found diagnosis has “risen dramatically” in recent years and the current system brings a “serious risk of overdiagnosis” in the future.
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What did the review recommend?
Take action now to help those in need of support
Prepare for benefits cuts
A needs-led approach should focus on participation rather than diagnosis.
Fast-track waiting lists
People on lists should be reviewed and support offered to those waiting.
Reduce medication
Deprescribing and regular medication reviews should be widespread practice.
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Streeting wrong about overdiagnosis, says author
“There has been a rise in distress and mental ill health amongst young people which is very, very real…. We need to support young people’s mental health early… Rebuilding this support must be a priority”
Professor Peter fonagy, author of the report which was comissioned by then-health secretary wes streeting
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But now it has emerged that Burnham met City club officials in 2018, where he helped advocate for their expansion in China while Greater Manchester mayor.
The revelation has heightened scrutiny of the Prime Minister over his links to the Emiratis.
A key part of Burnham’s previous job was to build relationships with major investors in his region.
But opposition parties are demanding he “come clean” about the extent of his relationship with the club’s owners, who have injected hundreds of millions of pounds to regenerate Manchester, including during Burnham’s mayorship.
The Prime Minister is facing calls to publish details of any hospitality and all his meetings with City owners and representatives of the UAE government – which is reportedly threatening to pull UK investment over the cheating verdict.
Questions over 2018 China trip
Burnham, while mayor of Manchester in 2018, was visiting China to improve economic ties, accompanied by a delegation of political and business leaders.
For one day of the September trip, he joined City Football Group – City’s owners – for a photoshoot to launch their new “hub” in Shenzhen, the Chinese city home to global tech giants including Huawei.
In the picture, Burnham, standing next to City’s then senior vice president of partnerships, Damian Willoughby, is seen smiling.
In a press release about the visit published on the club’s website, Burnham said: “The ambition of City Football Group matches that of the football authorities in China – it’s a perfect partnership.”
But eight years on, Burnham’s close links to the club’s owners are under the microscope.
Manchester City are now fighting to keep hold of their Premier League titles after being found guilty of breaching more than 100 financial rules from 2009 to 2018.
Meanwhile, Burnham is fending off accusations of political meddling.
The Prime Minister was forced to backtrack after saying last week that he would be “concerned” if the club’s Abu Dhabi owners quit, following guilty verdict delivered by an independent commission. Burnham later clarified that “no one is above the rules”.
On Thursday, he was challenged over his comments again, insisting to the BBC that he had “downplayed the seriousness of the findings”.
Burnham told to release diaries
No 10 declined to comment on the China meeting.
However, it is understood Burnham’s position is that during his time as mayor of Greater Manchester, it was “routine” for sporting clubs in the region to join business delegations on mayoral visits abroad.
This included Manchester United staff joining him on a trip to Texas, and Lancashire Cricket Club employees taking part in a visit to India.
Nathan Evans, leader of the Conservative group on Trafford council, and a member of the scrutiny committee of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, told The i Paper: “What was [Burnham’s] level of involvement with City? Nobody really knows, that’s the issue.
“We are calling for Burnham to release his diaries from his time as mayor so we can look at his meetings with Man City. The connections clearly go a long way back.”
On Thursday, reported on Thursday that while he was Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham oversaw a £55m taxpayer loan to companies ultimately controlled by Sheik Mansour, the owner of Manchester City.
Decisions to award the loans were taken in meetings in 2017, which Burnham chaired as mayor of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), reported.
The cash was from a pot lent to the region by central government to “kickstart housing projects that would otherwise be difficult to fund from elsewhere”, according to a press release at the time.
A spokesperson for Manchester Life, the joint venture between Manchester City Council and the owner of Manchester City, said 453 homes were built and the loans were repaid in full.
‘This is our national game’
Other Premier League clubs also now appear to be spooked about political interference in Manchester City’s appeal to overturn their guilty verdict.
“I think everyone is concerned,” one senior club source told the BBC. “Because no one is stupid around the table. We understand the geopolitics as well. We understand the investment they have made in our country. I don’t think anyone could doubt that or criticise that. But this is different, this is sport, this is our national game.”
Anna Sabine, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport, has called for Burnham to publish details of his meetings She said: “Football fans up and down the country deserve to know that the rules apply to everyone, however rich and powerful they are.”
David Bernstein, the former chair of Manchester City and of the FA, said he was “concerned” about how Burnham has handled the issue, which he described as “something that politicians should be seen to be staying well away from”.
He told BBC : “It is absolutely vital that this independent regulator can perform independently and without political interference and I think there are issues coming out of all this in terms of the board of directors, possibly the owners as well, where the independent regulator will need to get involved.”
‘The whole question of ownership on the table’
He also told the : “The whole question of ownership and the way the game’s developed over the last 20 years or so is on the table.”
City maintain they are innocent and have appealed against the guilty verdict.
Depending on the outcome, an independent commission will decide City’s punishment. This could range from a large points deduction to removal from the Premier League, while the new football regulator could strip Abu Dhabi United Group of its ownership of the club.
Speaking to the BBC on Thursday, Burnham denied he had “downplayed the seriousness of the findings”.
He added: “They are findings that need to be considered with great care and seriousness and then the process that considers them needs to be fully independent. I said that last week and I will repeat it again. I think it’s incumbent on everybody now to let the process run its course.
“I was asked a question about wider investment. I think it’s important to separate the football issues from wider investment. The football issues have to be looked at fully and that is without question.”