There is no evidence for this, says John Beckett of the University of Nottingham, who has written a book on city status.

ECONOMIST: Two peculiar candidates for city status

The debate was attended by nearly 100 participants, and speakers including Jeremy Dear (NUJ), Nicholas Jones (previous BBC correspondent), Charlie Beckett (Director of POLIS), John Kelly (Reuters Institute Visiting Fellow, Washington Post) and Ashley Norris, (Co-founder and Director of Shiny Media), providing compelling statements drawn from a wealth and range of professional experience.

UNESCO: World Press Freedom Day 2008

Among Labour MPs to rebel over the issue were former Home Secretary John Reid and ex-Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett.

BBC: Brown condemns 'personal attacks'