UUK politicians in the European Parliament protest agains European Capital of CUlture Exclusion
MPs representing the five areas that have submitted bids to be European Capital of Culture for 2023 have written to the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, urging him to reconsider the applicants’ exclusion from the process.
Fifteen MPs including Rachel Reeves, the MP for Leeds West, and Stewart Hosie, the MP for Dundee East, wrote to Juncker on Monday encouraging him to allow the cities to participate in the competition.
The MPs said they “find it inexplicable that the European Union (EU) waited until after the bids from the United Kingdom had been submitted before ruling them all ineligible, when it has been aware of the UK’s decision since June 2016. Politics should not interfere with what is in many ways an event intended to bridge cultural and political divides.”