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Glasgow or Liverpool have been announced as the final two UK cities in the running to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.

The two remaining cities had “the strongest overall offer”, with a final decision to be made “within weeks”, the broadcaster said.

The BBC appeared to drop a strong hint earlier in the day, with BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent telling viewers: “This morning – listen very carefully to what I’m saying – ahead of an expected update from our BBC entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson we’re going to be looking at the situation in Manchester.”

After taking a look at how Manchester is hoping to secure the contest, Nugent, 51, said: “As we said earlier, later on today we are expecting an update from the BBC.”

She added: “As soon as we know, you will know.”

Kalush Orchestra sold their Eurovision trophy
Pic:AP
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Kalush Orchestra’s song Stephania has become an anthem in war-torn Ukraine. Pic: AP

Liverpool, which has been a Unesco City of Music since 2015, has a rich music heritage and of course is known worldwide as the birthplace of The Beatles.

Glasgow meanwhile is home to the OVO Hydro arena, which features in the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – with the city previously rumoured to be a favourite location to host the contest for the UK.

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Ukraine won this year’s competition, with Kalush Orchestra taking the top spot.

However, the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU) ruled the event could not be held in the country next year as the risk of Russian air raids and mass casualties was too high.

The UK took second place in Eurovision 2022, with Sam Ryder’s Space Man.

Last month, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester were all shortlisted to host the international contest in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine.

Cities were initially judged on criteria including having a venue that can host at least 10,000 people, and access to an international airport.

Eurovision is the world’s biggest live music event – the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest reached a global audience of more than 180 million across TV and digital platforms.

The BBC will air the 2023 competition on behalf of Ukraine’s national broadcaster, UA:PBC.

As winners, Ukraine will get automatic entry into the final next year, alongside what are known as “the big five” nations (the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany), which contribute the most financially to the event.

Ukraine is expected to have a big part in putting the show together.

The 67th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in May 2023.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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