Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Andrew Bardsley

Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese has glass of wine thrown over him by protester at Conservative Party conference

Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese had a glass of wine thrown over him by a protester at the Conservative Party conference.

The veteran politician, who is set to step down as town hall supremo later this year, was appearing at a 'Welcome to Manchester' fringe event at Manchester Art Gallery tonight, alongside a Government minister.

During the event, about half a dozen protesters appeared and one man began shouting at Sir Richard.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson promises 'levelling up' announcement

The M.E.N.'s political editor Jen Williams, who was at the event, said the man shouted 'you've sold off the city'.

She said the protester was asking why Labour politician Sir Richard was attending the event, while people had spent the day protesting at the conference.

Sir Richard responded to the man's claims, telling him he was there to represent Manchester.

Shortly after, a woman threw a glass of red wine over Sir Richard.

The glass smashed on the floor, and Sir Richard was not hurt.

"What a waste," the politician tweeted later.

The protesters left the event shortly after, as event organisers asked them to leave.

Sir Richard was appearing alongside Conservative MP Neil O'Brien, a junior minister in the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities.

Also speaking at the event, which included discussion about the Government's plans for 'levelling up' the country, was Ian Stuart, chief executive of HSBC UK, and political journalist Katy Balls.

Earlier today about 10,000 people took to the streets of the city centre to protest, as Boris Johnson and other top Government minsters descended on Manchester Central.

Police have erected a ring of steel around the main area of the conference, around the conference hall and the Midland Hotel.

MP for Manchester Gorton Afzal Khan and senior city councillor Pat Karney were among those taking part in the protest, with a march starting near Whitworth Park on Oxford Road and ending at Castlefield Bowl.

Protestors included members of the trade union movement and Black Lives Matter supporters.

Sign up to the MEN email newsletters to get the latest on sport, news, what's on and more by following this link

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.