Former foes join to fight a bigger battle

It’s not so long ago that the civic leaders in Leeds, Nottingham, Belfast and Milton Keynes were Dundee’s sworn rivals in the quest to be named European Capital of Culture in 2023.

But a week is a long time in post-Brexit vote politics and strangely the former foes now find themselves united in an even mightier battle to prevent the crown from slipping from their grasp.

The leaders of the five cities have joined forces to urge the UK Government to take legal advice on the decision to bar them from vying for the title.

It follows high level talks with the department for media, culture and sport called in the wake of last week’s bombshell announcement from the European Commission that the UK had lost the right to be host country in 2023.

With the UK still in Europe and the terms of departure still to be agreed, the city leaders argue that urgent legal advice is needed before any of them throws in the towel and walks away. And they are right. Enormous amounts of time, effort and goodwill have been poured into the Dundee bid, which aimed to celebrate the City of Discovery’s place in Europe. The same momentum was clearly driving our competitors and is now fuelling this 11th hour fight to keep hope alive.

Some may say they are clutching at straws. But, given the size of the prize, surely any chance is worth pursuing.