‘That’s the way the city works’: how the UAE changed the face of Andy Burnham’s Manchester

Sheikh Mansour has built an extensive portfolio, while growth in the city helped power Andy Burnham (top) to No 10. Illustration: Anaïs Mims/Getty View image in fullscreen Sheikh Mansour has built an extensive portfolio, while growth in the city helped power Andy Burnham (top) to No 10. Illustration: Anaïs Mims/Getty ‘That’s the way the city works’: how the UAE changed the face of Andy Burnham’s Manchester The story of the emirates’ presence in Manchester winds from the Arab Spring to some of the most deprived places in England – with complicated results Emirati-linked firms’ ownership of Manchester land ‘up 39%’ in 10 years When Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s long-ruling dictator, was toppled from power in the Arab spring protests of 2011, his downfall sent shock waves across the Middle East. It also helped change the face of modern Manchester. Mubarak’s successor, the Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi, was a sworn enemy of the United Arab Emirates, whose rulers feared the advance of Morsi’s Islamism. The UAE, a key western ally, was concerned that David Cameron’s UK government was not strong enough on the Muslim Brotherhood and warned ministers it could pull billion-pound arms deals if Britain did not act. A secret Whitehall unit was hastily established to keep the oil-rich emirates on side. Lucrative investment deals were offered in private meetings later revealed . One of these would turn Abu Dhabi’s now crisis-stricken ownership of Manchester City football club into a much deeper stake in the city itself. View image in fullscreen An aerial view of the Etihad Stadium, the home of Manchester City, with the Ancoats and New Islington neighbourhoods in the background. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesFifteen years after the Egyptian revolution, a Guardian analysis can reveal a stark rise in the amount of land and property owned – extending to the size of 260 football pitches at its peak in 2023. Manchester City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, has built an extensive portfolio outside the club, including the UK’s biggest indoor arena, an “upper-upscale hotel” that opened last month, a suite of apartment blocks and investment in world-leading university research through a firm run -Mubarak, the City chief executive. The cheating scandal at Manchester City has put the spotlight on the wider influence of Abu Dhabi in the city, the growth of which helped power Andy Burnham to Downing Street. View image in fullscreen Andy Burnham, then mayor of Manchester, speaking to Manchester City’s chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, at the Etihad Stadium in September 2019.