UK cities barred from European Capital of Culture after Brexit

On 23 November 2017, the European Union announced that British cities are no longer eligible to compete for the title of European Capital of Culture, as only EU member states or candidate countries can participate. This decision directly impacts the five UK candidates for 2023: Dundee, Milton Keynes, Leeds, Nottingham, and the Northern Irish coalition of Belfast, Derry, and Strabane. The announcement came after the UK's Brexit referendum on 23 June 2016, where 51.9% voted to leave, and Prime Minister Theresa May proposed an exit date of 29 March 2019 at 23:00. Previously, UK cities had hosted the title twice: Glasgow in 1990 and Liverpool in 2008, with Liverpool reporting a return of £750 million against £170 million spent. The UK government had argued that non-EU cities like Reykjavik (2000) and Istanbul (2010) had previously held the title, but those cases involved countries with EU economic agreements or ongoing negotiation processes. The decision sparked disappointment among the candidate cities, which had already invested significant resources. Nottingham's 2023 bid website noted that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is in talks with the European Commission and committed to working with the cities on cultural ambitions. The Northern Irish coalition expressed gratitude for support and pledged to consolidate partnerships, with added frustration as Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU.