Eurovision: Liverpool delighted to make final two in running to host

Eurovision 2023 was moved to the home country of 2022 runner-up Sam Ryder after Ukraine had to pull out of hosting

Liverpool has reacted with glee after the city was named as one of the final two cities in the running to host 2023's Eurovision Song Contest.

The city will face off against Glasgow to host the event after the BBC cut Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Leeds from its shortlist.

Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson said she was "so thrilled" that the chance to host had "moved a big step closer".

The city will find out if it has been chosen "within weeks", the BBC said.

The UK was chosen to host the 2023 contest after organisers decided it could not be staged by this year's winner, Ukraine, because of the ongoing war.

The UK's singer Sam Ryder was runner-up to Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra this May.

A hotly-contested selection process saw 20 UK cities express an interest in hosting the show before that was narrowed down to seven, and now a final two.

Liverpool City Council and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said they had worked together to produce a bid which contained details about venues, transport links, funding and the city's past experience of hosting major events.

If successful, Eurovision would be staged at the 11,000-capacity dockside M&S Bank Arena, which stands next to a conference centre and close to the city centre's hotels and rail links.

'Music heavyweight'

Ms Anderson said hosting Eurovision "would write a brand-new chapter in our musical heritage", be a "huge boost to the local economy" and provide a "platform to sustain jobs well into the future".

She said "nobody throws a party like Liverpool" and while Glasgow was "a great city... there is no city anywhere in Europe which would make a more perfect home for Eurovision than Liverpool".

She added that the city also had "the backing of our sister city in Ukraine, Odesa, and it would be a privilege to host... on behalf of them and the people of Ukraine".

Kalush Orchestra won the competition for Ukraine in Turin, Italy in May

Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said it was "unsurprising that Liverpool has made it to the final two... because there's nowhere better qualified or more fitting to host it than here in the UK's cultural capital".

He said the city's "reputation as a music heavyweight is unmatched", adding: "We're ready to roll the red carpet out for a Eurovision celebration that the world will never forget."

Life peer Lord Rennard tweeted that he was "delighted" his home city had made the final two, while Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said she "can't wait to see which city comes out on top".

Announcing the final two, the chair of the BBC's Host City Selection Committee, Phil Harrold, said the contest was "a very complex event and Liverpool and Glasgow have the strongest overall offer".

"We will continue our discussions with them to determine the eventual host city," he said.

"We are determined to make the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest one that both reflects the winning position of Ukraine and is also an event that all of the UK can participate in."