THE UK Government has attacked Nicola Sturgeon as “attention-seeking” after she made a public bid for Scotland to host Eurovision 2023.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Friday that, due to security concerns linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the song contest could not be held in the nation – despite it having earned the right by winning in 2022.
The Ukrainian entrants Kalush Orchestra beat the UK into second place thanks to audience points after an outpouring of support from across Europe in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s hostility.
As Ukraine was deemed unsuitable to host the 2023 event, the EBU said it would “begin discussions with the BBC” with an eye on holding the contest in the UK.
After the news broke, politicians across the UK threw their cities’ hats into the ring.
London mayor Sadiq Khan, Liverpool mayor Joanne Anderson, Manchester council leader Bev Craig, and Leeds council leader James Lewis were among those announcing bids to host Eurovision 2023 if Ukraine could not.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also made a case for Scotland, saying she could “think of a perfect venue on [the] banks of the River Clyde”.
However, Sturgeon’s bid was quickly attacked by the Tories in government, through an anonymous source speaking to the Daily Mail.
John Stevens, that paper’s deputy political editor, said: “UK Government unimpressed at Sturgeon launching campaign to get Eurovision in Scotland just an hour after Ukraine told it cannot host.
“Government source: ‘It doesn’t look the behaviour of an ally of Ukraine to immediately put out attention-seeking tweets.’”
Labour peer George Foulkes also attacked the First Minister over the bid, echoing the language of the “government source”.
When are the rest of the media going to see through the attention seeking narcissist @NicolaSturgeon who is incapable of running trains, ferries a health service or a justice system efficiently yet seeks to exploit the suffering of Ukraine so swiftly? https://t.co/acSuIOYHLp
— George Foulkes (@GeorgeFoulkes) June 17, 2022
Foulkes wrote: “When are the rest of the media going to see through the attention-seeking narcissist @NicolaSturgeon who is incapable of running trains, ferries, a health service or a justice system efficiently yet seeks to exploit the suffering of Ukraine so swiftly?”
However, Scotland’s, and specifically Glasgow’s, bid to host Eurovision 2023 was endorsed by Ukrainian MP and political leader Kira Rudik.
Rudik said: “Glasgow has a strong track record in hosting major international events, as the world witnessed during last year’s #COP26.
“Ukrainians know the city from the recent #Scotland-Ukraine football match, where my people experienced the warmth and generosity of the people of Glasgow.”
