UAE: We’ll pull billions out of Britain over Man City

Plus: Big State Britain is back with a vengeance | The best alcohol-free alternatives for every drink

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Saturday, 3 October 2026 Issue No. 587

Good morning. The United Arab Emirates is warning Andy Burnham that it will pull billions of pounds of investment out of Britain in retaliation for the guilty verdict against Manchester City. The row is a serious test of Burnham’s premiership and raises questions over why he praised the club’s ownership days earlier. Robert Mendick, our Chief Reporter, has the story. Elsewhere, Patrick Kidd urges Burnham to take off the rose-tinted glasses. The Prime Minister’s speech rolled the clock back 50 years to a decade when he was in primary school, where it might have been easy to see the world as a happy place. Those who were older then might remember it differently. Plus, we bring you the latest on Ann Widdecombe’s alleged murderer, who was charged last night with preparing acts of terrorism against Nigel Farage. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. We’re giving you a whole year of The Telegraph for just £29. If you’re already a subscriber, make sure you’re logged in to read today’s stories.   In today’s edition Widdecombe murder suspect charged with terror plot against Farage — ‘Without Esther Rantzen, I would never have been able to thank Nicholas Winton’ — Plus, the best alcohol-free alternatives for every drink

Try one year for just £29 Unlock this newsletter, plus full access to our website and app for less than £2.50 a month. Claim your offer   UAE threatens Burnham over Man City: We’ll pull billions out of Britain Andy Burnham with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the chairman of Manchester City Robert Mendick Chief Reporter   Andy Burnham’s first three months in Downing Street have been, by and large, smooth sailing. He has now hit his first proper, full-blown diplomatic crisis. Oddly enough, it has come as a result of bad behaviour in the game he loves: football. As we report, Abu Dhabi is threatening to pull the plug on billions of pounds of investment in Britain. All because the Premier League has found Manchester City guilty of breaking financial rules. The problem for the Prime Minister is Manchester City is owned by Sheikh Mansour, who also happens to be the United Arab Emirates’ vice-president, while Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the club’s chairman, is also chief executive of one of Abu Dhabi’s largest wealth funds. Correspondence obtained by The Telegraph under freedom of information laws shows that Britain has been courting Abu Dhabi for funding, not least for a hi-tech corridor between Oxford and Cambridge that is being vaunted as this country’s answer to Silicon Valley. This report is available only to subscribers. Continue reading ➤ How UAE cash helped deliver Burnham’s ‘Manchester miracle’ ➤ Revealed: Damning evidence that undermines Man City’s defence ➤   Big State Britain is back with a vengeance Patrick Kidd   At Labour’s conference this week, Andy Burnham rolled the clock back 50 years to a decade when he was in primary school and the world seemed a happier place. The politics of hope died in May 1979, the Prime Minister implied, and he wanted to return to those halcyon days. The message was clear from Burnham’s conference speech: the state-run economy will return. Privatisation bad, Mother Government good. “Homes. Water. Energy. Transport. Care. Broken up and sold off,” he scolded. “The whole nostalgia thing is very odd,” says Lord Maude, whose father Angus was in Margaret Thatcher’s first Cabinet and who became an MP himself in 1983. “Politicians usually want to describe themselves as the future not the past and here’s Burnham doing the opposite.” As the Tories gather for their own conference in Birmingham, supporters of Kemi Badenoch are likening her to Thatcher with a similar level of zeal to the Labour members using the same comparison to damn the current leader. Many will relish a renewed battle against the policies that were rolled out by Harold Wilson and ripped up by Thatcher. The key question on their minds is when will Burnham fire the starting gun on an election campaign that allows that battle to begin in earnest. For subscribers only ➤   Opinion Charles Moore If Burnham was Frodo Baggins, Sauron would have won As amiable as a hobbit, Burnham was more party pleaser than Prime Minister at Labour’s conference, and he ducked too many big issues Continue reading ➤     Camilla Tominey Nobody can unite the Right now Continue reading ➤     Richard Dawkins Twenty years since I wrote the book, the God Delusion won’t die Continue reading ➤     To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. In other news • Ann Widdecombe’s alleged murderer has been charged with preparing acts of terrorism against Nigel Farage. Joshua Kerry was charged with murder after Widdecombe was found dead in July. • Andy Burnham plans to pass a law scrapping the triple lock before 2030. The announcement sets up a divisive debate and means the next election will be fought over the pension changes. • Donald Trump has ruled out a US diesel export ban after G7 leaders, including those of France, Germany and Britain, agreed to release emergency stockpiles. • Two Iranian small boat migrants have been charged with plotting a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in Manchester. • Pro-Palestinian protesters are planning a “provocative” march on Oct 7. Those behind the plans have refused to engage with police, despite warnings about the distress the event will cause to the Jewish community.   Weekend reads ‘Without Esther Rantzen, I would never have been able to thank Nicholas Winton’ Sworn to secrecy in the front row of the That’s Life! studio, Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines sat beside an unassuming pensioner. Only when Esther Rantzen’s co-presenter read out her name from Nicholas Winton’s scrapbook could she finally turn, take his hand and reveal the childhood name card from her 1939 escape from Prague – leaving her wartime rescuer in tears. Continue reading ➤   ‘Black Labs Matter’: How Labour dragged Britain’s favourite dog into the culture wars Britain’s favourite dog breed looks innocent enough, but black labradors are, in fact, little more than four-legged neo-fascists, writes Guy Kelly. At least, that’s what people have taken from Labour minister Jenny Riddell-Carpenter’s comments about them this week. Understandably, there’s panic among owners – including those in my own family. What should we do with our pets, now they’ve been revealed as in-house extremists? With the help of the internet, it’s a quandary I’ve attempted to answer. Continue reading ➤ Pub offers free pint to black labrador owners ➤   Natalie Pike: I turned detective to catch my stalker For the past eight months, Natalie Pike, the football presenter, has privately been battling a traumatic stalking ordeal, with an obsessed Manchester City fan turning up pitchside at the Etihad Stadium and even running into the hair salon in her home village to demand to know where she lived. After the relief of seeing the man receive a suspended sentence last week, she talks for the first time about the scars the experience has left. Continue reading ➤   Is this Richard E Grant’s Traitors swansong? Is Richard E Grant already at the end of his run in The Celebrity Traitors? Michael Hogan updates us on the latest action at Adross Castle, which includes the Traitors both claiming their first victim and making their first recruit, as the latest series proves more chaotic and unpredictable than ever.  Continue reading ➤   Your Saturday The best alcohol-free alternatives for every drink, from lager to G&T If you’re off alcohol this month but still want that familiar fix from a pint or glass of wine, the good news is that the options are better than ever, writes Jonathan Hatchman. I’ve done the hard work for you and found the best booze-free imitations of everything from stout and sauvignon blanc to a ready-made margarita. Continue reading ➤   Food for thought Do you know what you’re going to eat this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Every Saturday, Diana Henry, The Telegraph’s award-winning cookery writer, brings you three recipes for a perfect weekend meal. Meanwhile, William Sitwell shares his view from the culinary world – and a recommendation or two. Chicken with leeks, apples and cider Diana Henry   I eat an apple a day no matter what season it is. Sometimes two. I have done this since I was a child. When I am fading a little at 4pm, it’s time for an apple. If I’m writing so much I can’t stop for supper, I have an apple and a boiled egg. The apple variety I really adore – Ashmead’s Kernel – is not easily available. I used to have a tree of them but left it when I moved house. It’s very juicy and has a taut skin, which means a good crunch, and I can get it at Brogdale in Kent, the home of our National Fruit Collection (which is holding its annual Apple Festival today and tomorrow, where you’re able to taste loads of varieties). I like savoury dishes with apples just as much as sweet ones. This recipe for chicken with leeks, apples and cider is a favourite, a dish that epitomises south-west England but is also similar to poulet a la Normande, though the French version doesn’t feature leeks. Normandy apple tart Speaking of French dishes, I have made this Normandy apple tart more than any other. I started cooking it in my late teens. It was published in The Observer in 1979, part of a series by Anne Willan. When you look at the recipe you might think it sounds complicated – it’s not. Just think of it in blocks, the pastry, the frangipane and the apples and glaze. In Normandy it’s made with Golden Delicious apples which are much too bland – I use Granny Smiths because their sharpness works really well with pastry. Beetroot, apple and spelt salad with hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds Salads with fruit – apples or pears – are great at this time of the year. This combination of beetroot with apple and spelt is deliciously healthy and full of different textures, thanks to the hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds that are scattered over it. Choose for it an apple you like eating raw – sweet or tart, whichever you prefer. Before you go… Autumn is a prime time for apples, yes, but also for more weird and wonderful ingredients such as Badger Flame beetroot, Delica pumpkins and cauliflower mushrooms – the foods that chefs will wait in eager anticipation for all year long. In this article, 10 of Britain’s top chefs reveal the under-the-radar gems that make their hearts sing. Find me here every Saturday and in my Recipes newsletter, which you can sign up to here. Meanwhile, William Sitwell recounts his spell as a DIY handyman... William Sitwell   It’s a lesson I never learn: leave it to the experts. With ever-rising costs, however, as I look about the White Hart, my Somerset mid-life act of heroic idiocy, I decide to take on the utilitarian jobs myself. Even though experience should have taught me, as I’ve glued my hands to my trousers trying to fix bar stools, brought walls down attempting to hang curtains, and narrowly avoided manslaughter charges as paintings fell off the walls in the lobby. This week it was a flooded cellar that saw me, caveman like, asserting my masculinity, attempting to pump out the water. It didn’t go well… Read William’s full column ➤   Your say Jolly joggers Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal Reader Correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes... The concept of a fun run, declared Princess Anne earlier in the week, is a “contradiction in terms”. As a begrudging jogger, occasionally worried that I might be missing something (or doing it wrong), I was pleased to have confirmation that, no, it is indeed a deeply unenjoyable activity.   I asked for your views in Wednesday’s edition, and the response was pretty unanimous. “How apposite,” wrote Moira Blythe. “Only this morning, as we were driving into our nearest town, we passed two runners coming towards us. Neither looked as if they were enjoying the experience. The second one, an older middle-aged man, appeared positively miserable. I considered why people put themselves through such discomfort, when there are so many other ways of stretching your legs and enjoying being outside.”   It’s a question I ask myself as I huff and puff through another 5km. Sue Brookes, meanwhile, observed: “‘Fun run’ equates with the oxymoron ‘cycling holiday’.”   Michael Graham-Cloete added: “I would never employ anyone who went jogging in the morning as they would probably have a jumbled brain.”   The defence fell to Felicity Aries: “I love running. It doesn’t ‘knacker your knees’, as has been suggested, especially if you mainly stick to trails and woodland. I am a two-minute run from the Gwydir Forest in Eryri and seeing the seasons change on my regular runs is wonderful.“ That’s all from me for this week, folks. I’ll be back on Monday to bring you the best Telegraph talking points. In the meantime, you can contact me here. Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name.   Puzzler’s corner Welcome to Andrew Baker’s Saturday quiz. Test your knowledge below to see if you have been paying attention to our newsletters this week... 1. Which two-word phrase did Princess Anne describe as “a contradiction in terms”? 2. Where was Camilla Tominey, our Associate Editor, born and raised? 3. The late Dame Esther Rantzen’s popular TV show That’s Life featured a talking dog. What did the dog say? 4. Andy Green achieved 406mph on a salt lake in Utah, a land speed record for a vehicle powered by what? 5. Chestnut Trees in Bloom is expected to fetch £135m when it is sold next month. Who painted it? Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords. Yesterday’s Panagram was AIRWORTHY. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. Plus, can you tackle The 1% Club? Scroll down to see if you got the questions right – and play for free on our website and app.   On this day 1945 | Elvis Presley performs publicly for the first time aged 10, singing Old Shep in a youth talent contest. He wins fifth prize: $5 in fair ride tickets 1990 | Reunification of East Germany and West Germany: the West German flag is raised above the Brandenburg Gate at the stroke of midnight 1995 | OJ Simpson is found not guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, and 13 years later to the day, he is found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery 2015 | England become the first host nation to be knocked out of the Rugby World Cup after losing to Australia, having already lost to Wales in the group stages Birthdays: Gwen Stefani (59), Tommy Lee (64), Al Sharpton (72)   Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. Quiz answers: “Fun run” Harpenden, Herts “Sausages” Hydrogen Vincent van Gogh   The 1% Club answers: Football Bare and bear One in a million   Try 1 year for just £29 Unlock this newsletter, plus full access to our website and app for less than £2.50 a month. Claim your offer

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