The comment from Andy Burnham criticising Donald Trump from 2017 quoted earlier (see 9.58am) referred to the prospect of Trump visiting Manchester during his state visit. In fact, he never went near the city. But next year he may be there, because No 10 has announced that it will host the G20 summit.
In its report on the story, the Manchester Evening News says:
The move to host the G20 in Manchester was reportedly set up months ago after Andy Burnham became prime minister, using his first phone call with Mr Trump to invite him to the city, and which is said to have been accepted by the American President.
It is understood that planning has already started for the enormous gathering, which will require the biggest security operation the city has ever seen …
Work on hosting the summit in Manchester had begun before Mr Burnham took office but the prime minister has been an enthusiastic cheerleader for the city since entering Downing Street, including establishing the No 10 North operation in the city centre.
