#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid,#comment-body .content–interactive-grid,[data-gu-name=body] .content–interactive-grid,#feature-body .content–interactive-grid{grid-column-gap:0px;grid-template-columns:100%;grid-template-areas:”media” “title” “headline” “standfirst” “lines” “meta” “body”}@media (min-width: 30em){#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid figure.element–immersive figcaption,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid figure.element–immersive figcaption,#comment-body .content–interactive-grid figure.element–immersive figcaption,[data-gu-name=body] .content–interactive-grid figure.element–immersive figcaption,#feature-body .content–interactive-grid figure.element–immersive figcaption{padding:0 20px;max-width:620px}}@media (min-width: 46.25em){#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid,#comment-body .content–interactive-grid,[data-gu-name=body] .content–interactive-grid,#feature-body .content–interactive-grid{grid-template-columns:100%;grid-column-gap:10px;grid-template-areas:”title” “headline” “standfirst” “media” “lines” “meta” “body”}#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid #maincontent,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid #maincontent,#comment-body .content–interactive-grid #maincontent,[data-gu-name=body] .content–interactive-grid #maincontent,#feature-body .content–interactive-grid #maincontent{padding-right:80px}}@media (min-width: 61.25em){#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid,#comment-body .content–interactive-grid,[data-gu-name=body] .content–interactive-grid,#feature-body .content–interactive-grid{grid-template-columns:620px 300px;grid-template-areas:”title right-column” “headline right-column” “standfirst right-column” “media right-column” “lines right-column” “meta right-column” “body right-column” “. right-column”}#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid #maincontent,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid #maincontent,#comment-body .content–interactive-grid #maincontent,[data-gu-name=body] .content–interactive-grid #maincontent,#feature-body .content–interactive-grid #maincontent{padding-right:unset}}@media (min-width: 71.25em){#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid,#comment-body .content–interactive-grid,[data-gu-name=body] .content–interactive-grid,#feature-body .content–interactive-grid{grid-template-columns:140px 1px 620px 300px;grid-template-areas:”title border headline right-column” “. border standfirst right-column” “. border media right-column” “. border body right-column” “. border . right-column”}#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid .content__standfirst,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid .content__standfirst,#comment-body .content–interactive-grid .content__standfirst,[data-gu-name=body] .content–interactive-grid .content__standfirst,#feature-body .content–interactive-grid .content__standfirst{padding-bottom:0}#article-body>div .content–interactive-grid figure.element–immersive figcaption,.content–interactive>div .content–interactive-grid figure.element–immersive figcaption,#comment-body .contFor interactive-grid figures with immersive captions, add 4px padding at the top. In the article body, interactive section, comment body, body, and feature body, place the lines and meta elements in grid area 2/1/5/2. Set the lines element to max-content height with a 5px top margin, and give the meta element an 18px top margin. At viewport widths of 81.25em and above, use grid columns of 219px, 1px, 620px, 80px, and 300px. On iOS and Android, set the standfirst paragraph font to Guardian Headline with weight 500, display the article kicker section as a block with an uppercase first letter, add 12px top padding to keyline-4, and set the byline author font to Guardian Headline with weight 700, including links. Also on iOS and Android, make image figure inner height auto and remove the top margin from paragraphs following atom figures. Define the Guardian Headline Full font faces for light and light italic styles using woff2, woff, and ttf sources.The text you provided is CSS code defining @font-face rules for the Guardian Headline Full font family, not prose that can be rewritten into fluent English. It’s a technical stylesheet, so there’s no natural-language meaning to preserve or simplify. If you’d like, I can explain what the code does in plain English, or you can share the actual text you want rewritten.
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom:first-of-type + figure:has(gu-island[name=UnsafeEmbedBlockComponent]) + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom:first-of-type + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom:first-of-type + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom:first-of-type + .element-atom + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom:first-of-type + figure:has(gu-island[name=UnsafeEmbedBlockComponent]) + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom:first-of-type + figure:has(gu-island[name=UnsafeEmbedBlockComponent]) + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
.content__main-column–interactive hr:not(.last-horizontal-rule) + p:first-letter,
.content__main-column–interactive hr:not(.last-horizontal-rule) + .ad-slot-container + p:first-letter,
#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type + figure:has(gu-island[name=UnsafeEmbedBlockComponent]) + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type + .element-atom + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type + figure:has(gu-island[name=UnsafeEmbedBlockComponent]) + .sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:first-letter,
#article-body > div .element-atom:first-of-type + figure:has(gu-island[name=UnsafeEmbedBlockComponent]) + #sign-in-gate + p:first-of-type:fiThe text you provided is a block of CSS code, not prose, so there’s no natural-language meaning to preserve or simplify. It’s a long selector list that applies drop-cap styling (Guardian Headline font, bold, 111px size, 92px line height, floated left, uppercase, 8px right margin, top-aligned, colored via a CSS variable) to the first letter of the first paragraph following certain elements within specific containers. If you meant to share an article or passage instead, please paste that and I’ll rewrite it in fluent English.The CSS rules adjust spacing and layout for interactive articles, pull quotes, and showcase images. They remove top padding after horizontal rules, limit pull quote width to 620px, and control how showcase image captions are positioned and sized at different screen widths. Immersive elements are sized to the viewport width, with maximum widths and padding adjustments for smaller screens. Showcase figures in the body are shifted left on larger screens. The furniture wrapper in non-interactive articles is placed in the grid, with certain meta elements hidden on wider screens and the standfirst adjusted. Elements following the furniture wrapper start on the second grid row, and figure atoms with specific IDs have their vertical margins set to zero.At a minimum width of 61.25em, the furniture wrapper uses a grid layout with 20px column gaps and no row gaps. Its columns are defined as: title, headline, meta, and standfirst start positions, followed by five equal columns, then the same four end positions, followed by another five equal columns for the portrait section. Its rows are defined as: title and portrait start at .25fr, title ends and headline starts at 1fr, headline ends and standfirst starts at .75fr, standfirst ends and meta starts at auto, and meta and portrait end together.
Within the furniture wrapper, the first child of the headline element gets a 1px top border using the header border color. The meta element is positioned relatively with 2px top padding and no right margin. The standfirst’s content has a 4px bottom margin, and list items in the standfirst use a 20px font size. Links in the standfirst have no bottom border or background image; instead they are underlined with a 6px offset, using the header border color at 1px thickness. On hover, the underline color changes to the new pillar color. The first paragraph of the standfirst gets a 1px top border using the header border color and no bottom padding.
At a minimum width of 61.25em and also at least 71.25em, the first paragraph of the standfirst has no top border. At a minimum width of 61.25em, figures inside the furniture wrapper have a left margin of -10px, and inline figures are capped at 630px wide.
At a minimum width of 71.25em, the furniture wrapper’s grid changes to: title, headline, and meta start positions, followed by two equal columns, then meta ends and standfirst starts, followed by five equal columns, then title, headline, and standfirst end positions plus portrait start, followed by seven equal columns for the portrait section. Rows become: title and portrait start at 80px, title ends and headline starts at auto, headline ends and standfirst and meta start at auto, and standfirst and meta end together with portrait. The meta element gets a 540px-wide 1px line above it using the header border color. Standfirst paragraphs lose their top border. The standfirst gets a 1px vertical line on its left side, full height, using the header border color.
At a minimum width of 81.25em, the grid changes again: title, headline, and meta start positions, followed by three equal columns, then meta ends and standfirst starts, followed by five equal columns, then title, headline, and standfirst end positions plus portrait start, followed by eight equal columns for the portrait section. Rows become: title and portrait start at .25fr, title ends and headline starts at 1fr, headline ends and standfirst and meta start at .75fr, and standfirst and meta end together with portrait. The meta line above it widens to 620px, and the standfirst’s vertical line shifts to -0.5px.
The article header and title elements inside the furniture wrapper are also part of the grid layout.`.furniture-wrapper .article-header .content__labels > div, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”title”] .content__labels > div { padding-top: 2px; } .furniture-wrapper #headline, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”headline”], .furniture-wrapper .headline { grid-area: headline; } .furniture-wrapper #headline h1, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”headline”] h1, .furniture-wrapper .headline h1 { font-weight: 600; max-width: 620px; font-size: 32px; } @media (min-width: 71.25em) { .furniture-wrapper #headline h1, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”headline”] h1, .furniture-wrapper .headline h1 { max-width: 540px; font-size: 50px; } } @media (min-width: 46.25em) { .furniture-wrapper .keyline-4, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”lines”] { margin-right: 0; } } @media (min-width: 61.25em) { .furniture-wrapper .keyline-4, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”lines”] { display: none; } } .furniture-wrapper .keyline-4 svg, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”lines”] svg { stroke: var(–headerBorder); } .furniture-wrapper #meta, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”meta”] { grid-area: meta; } @media (min-width: 46.25em) { .furniture-wrapper #meta, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”meta”] { margin-right: 0; } } .furniture-wrapper #meta .meta__social, .furniture-wrapper #meta .meta__social ul li a span, .furniture-wrapper #meta .meta__comment, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”meta”] .meta__social, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”meta”] .meta__social ul li a span, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”meta”] .meta__comment { border-color: var(–headerBorder); } .furniture-wrapper #meta .content__meta-container_dcr > div > gu-island, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”meta”] .content__meta-container_dcr > div > gu-island { display: none; } .furniture-wrapper .standfirst, .furniture-wrapper #standfirst, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] { grid-area: standfirst; margin-left: -10px; padding-left: 10px; position: relative; } @media (min-width: 46.25em) { .furniture-wrapper .standfirst, .furniture-wrapper #standfirst, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] { padding-top: 2px; } } .furniture-wrapper .standfirst p, .furniture-wrapper #standfirst p, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] p { font-weight: 400; font-size: 20px; padding-bottom: 14px; } .furniture-wrapper #main-media, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”media”] { position: relative; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 2px; grid-area: portrait; } .furniture-wrapper #main-media div div, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”media”] div div { width: 100%; margin-inline: 0; } @media (min-width: 61.25em) { .furniture-wrapper #main-media, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”media”] { margin-bottom: 0; } } @media (max-width: 46.24em) { .furniture-wrapper #main-media, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”media”] { width: calc(100vw – var(–scrollbar-width, 0px)); margin-left: -10px; } } @media (max-width: 46.24em) and (min-width: 30em) { .furniture-wrapper #main-media, .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”media”] { margin-left: -20px; } } .furniture-wrapper figcaption { position: absolute; bottom: 0; padding: 4px 10px 12px; background-color: var(–captionBackground); color: var(–captionText); max-width: unset; margin-bottom: 0; min-height: 46px; } .furniture-wrapper figcaption span { color: var(–headerBorder); } .furniture-wrapper figcaption span svg { fill: var(–headerBorder); } .furniture-wrapper figcaption span:nth-of-type(1) { display: none; } .furniture-wrapper figcaption span:nth-of-type(2) { display: inline; max-width: 90%; } @media (min-width: 30em) { .furniture-wrapper figcaption { padding: 4px 20px 12px; } } .furniture-wrapper figcaption.hidden { opacity: 0; } .furniture-wrapper #caption-button { display: block; position: absolute; bottom: 10px; right: 8px; z-index: 30; background-color: var(–captionBackground); border: none; border-radius: 50%; padding: 6px 5px 5px; } .furniture-wrapper #caption-button svg { transform: scale(.85); } @media (min-width: 30em) { .furniture-wrapper #caption-button { right: 10px; } } @media (min-width: 71.25em) { .content__main-column–interactive:before { top: -12px !important; height: calc(100% + 24px) !important; } } .content__main-column–interactive h2 { max-width: 620px; } @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { :root:root:not([data-color-scheme=”light”]) { –follow-text: #dcdcdc; –follow-icon-fill: var(–darkmode-pillar); –standfirst-text: #dcdcdc; –standfirst-link-text: var(–darkmode-pillar); –stan`The first-link border uses the dark mode pillar color, and the byline also uses the dark mode pillar color. In the furniture wrapper, the headline h1, the headline element, the headline class h1, the standfirst paragraph, the standfirst element paragraph, and the standfirst class paragraph all use a font weight of 500. For the root body, the weekend essay background is set to #fff4f2, and the background, article section background, and sub-meta background all use the weekend essay background variable with #fff4f2 as the fallback. The lines element is hidden. The furniture wrapper is positioned relative. At a minimum width of 81.25em, the furniture wrapper uses grid template rows: title-start and portrait-start at .25fr, title-end, headline-start at 1fr, headline-end, standfirst-start, and meta-start at .3fr, and standfirst-end, meta-end, and portrait-end. In the furniture wrapper, the article header and title element are positioned relative with a height of 70px. The content labels inside the article header and title element inherit that height. The content labels have an after pseudo-element that displays a block, is 70px wide and 70px tall, uses a book GIF as its background image, contains the background, centers it, prevents it from repeating, and is positioned absolute at the bottom right. At a minimum width of 81.25em, that after pseudo-element is 110px wide and 110px tall. The direct div children of the content labels are 100% height. Those divs have an after pseudo-element that displays a block, is as wide as the viewport minus the scrollbar width, is 1px tall, has a background color of #dcdcdc, and is positioned absolute at the bottom, 10px to the left. At a minimum width of 46.25em, that after pseudo-element is 20px to the left and 738px wide. At a minimum width of 61.25em, it is hidden. At a minimum width of 71.25em, the article header and title element are 80px tall. At a minimum width of 81.25em, they are 125px tall. At a minimum width of 81.25em, the headline, headline element, and headline class have a top margin of -2px. The inner divs of the headline, headline element, and headline class have no bottom padding. The portrait main media headline wrapper inside the headline, headline element, and headline class is 100% height, positioned relative, has overflow hidden, and has 24px bottom padding. The h1 and anchor elements inside that wrapper have no maximum width. On hover, the h1 and anchor elements inside that wrapper have no maximum width.a:hover{text-decoration-thickness:2px;text-underline-offset:6px}.furniture-wrapper #headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper h1,.furniture-wrapper #headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper a,.furniture-wrapper #headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper .byline span,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=headline] .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper h1,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=headline] .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper a,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=headline] .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper .byline span,.furniture-wrapper .headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper h1,.furniture-wrapper .headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper a,.furniture-wrapper .headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper .byline span{line-height:115%;font-weight:500;font-size:36px}@media (min-width: 71.25em){.furniture-wrapper #headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper h1,.furniture-wrapper #headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper a,.furniture-wrapper #headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper .byline span,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=headline] .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper h1,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=headline] .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper a,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=headline] .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper .byline span,.furniture-wrapper .headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper h1,.furniture-wrapper .headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper a,.furniture-wrapper .headline .portrait-mainmedia__headline-wrapper .byline span{font-size:50px}}.furniture-wrapper .standfirst,.furniture-wrapper #standfirst,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst]{position:relative;padding-top:4px}@media (min-width: 61.25em){.furniture-wrapper .standfirst,.furniture-wrapper #standfirst,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst]{padding-top:0}}@media (min-width: 71.25em){.furniture-wrapper .standfirst,.furniture-wrapper #standfirst,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=standfirst]{padding-top:2px}}.furniture-wrapper #meta .content__meta-container_dcr gu-island[name=Branding],.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=meta] .content__meta-container_dcr gu-island[name=Branding]{display:block}.furniture-wrapper #main-media,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media]{position:relative}@media (min-width: 61.25em){.furniture-wrapper #main-media,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media]{grid-area:portrait}}.furniture-wrapper #main-media>div,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media]>div{position:relative}.furniture-wrapper #main-media div+span,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] div+span{display:block}.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure{height:100%;margin-left:10px}.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure picture img,.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure figcaption,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure picture img,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure figcaption{width:calc(100vw – 40px – var(–scrollbar-width, 0px));height:auto;margin-left:10px;padding:10px 0}.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure figcaption,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure figcaption{margin-bottom:10px;padding:10px}.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before{content:””;display:block;width:calc(100vw – 20px – var(–scrollbar-width, 0px));background-image:url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2025/04/2025-weekend-essay-test/assets/v/1792770496/frame.png);background-size:contain;background-position:center;background-repeat:no-repeat;position:absolute;top:0;left:10px;height:inherit}.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure.cinemagraph div:first-of-type,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure.cinemagraph div:first-of-type{background:transparent}.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure.cinemagraph video,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure.cinemagraph video{width:92%;margin:16px 8px 0}.furniture-wrapper #main-media figure.cinemagraph figcaption,.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure.cinemagraph figcaption{margin-bottom:12px;width:93%;margin-Here is the text rewritten in fluent, natural English:
Left: 2px. At a minimum width of 23.4375em, the cinemagraph video inside the furniture-wrapper’s main media figure or media figure is set to 94% width. The figcaption for these cinemagraph figures gets a bottom margin of 12px, a width of 91%, and a left margin of 9px.
At a minimum width of 46.25em, figures inside the furniture-wrapper’s main media or media section have no left margin. Picture images within these figures are 670px wide with automatic height, a 5px left margin, and 15px top/bottom padding with 10px left/right padding. The figure’s before pseudo-element is 700px wide and shifted 10px to the left. Figcaptions are 650px wide with a 15px left margin, 15px bottom margin, and 15px top/bottom padding with 10px left/right padding. For cinemagraph videos, the width is 96% with margins of 18px top, 6px left/right, and 0 bottom. Cinemagraph figcaptions are 96% wide with a 6px left margin and 17px bottom margin.
At a minimum width of 61.25em, the figure’s before pseudo-element is 470px wide. Picture images and figcaptions are both 450px wide with no left margin. Picture images have 10px top/bottom padding and no left/right padding. Figcaptions have a 10px bottom margin. Cinemagraph videos have margins of 10px top, 6px left/right, and 0 bottom. Cinemagraph figcaptions have a 6px left margin and 12px bottom margin.
At a minimum width of 71.25em, the figure’s before pseudo-element is 550px wide. Picture images are 520px wide with a 5px left margin and 10px top/bottom padding with 5px left/right padding. Figcaptions are 510px wide with a 10px left margin and 10px bottom margin. Cinemagraph videos have margins of 12px top, 6px left/right, and 0 bottom. Cinemagraph figcaptions have a 6px left margin and 15px bottom margin.
At a minimum width of 81.25em, the figure’s before pseudo-element is 630px wide. Picture images are 600px wide with 15px top/bottom padding and no left/right padding. Figcaptions are 600px wide with a 5px left margin and 15px bottom margin. Cinemagraph videos have margins of 16px top, 8px left/right, and 0 bottom. Cinemagraph figcaptions have an 8px left margin.
The caption-button inside the furniture-wrapper’s main media or media section is positioned 15px from the right and 20px from the bottom. At a minimum width of 46.25em, it moves to 45px from the right and 30px from the bottom. At a minimum width of 61.25em, it returns to 15px from the right and a bottom position of…The provided text is CSS code, not prose, so it cannot be rewritten into fluent natural English without changing its meaning or adding commentary. If you’d like, I can explain what the CSS does in plain English.[data-app-os=ios] #main-media div, [data-app-os=ios] #main-media figure, [data-app-os=ios] #main-media picture, [data-app-os=ios] [data-gu-name=media] div, [data-app-os=ios] [data-gu-name=media] figure, [data-app-os=ios] [data-gu-name=media] picture, [data-app-os=android] #main-media div, [data-app-os=android] #main-media figure, [data-app-os=android] #main-media picture, [data-app-os=android] [data-gu-name=media] div, [data-app-os=android] [data-gu-name=media] figure, [data-app-os=android] [data-gu-name=media] picture { width: fit-content; }
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
[data-rendering-target=apps] body, [data-app-os=ios] body, [data-app-os=android] body {
–article-section-background: #1a1a1a;
–weekend-essay-bg: #1a1a1a;
}
[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper .article-header:after,
[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=title] .content__labels:after,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper .article-header:after,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=title] .content__labels:after,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper .article-header:after,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=title] .content__labels:after {
background-image: url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2025/04/2025-weekend-essay-test/assets/v/1792770496/book-white.gif);
}
[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper .meta__byline gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper [data-component=meta-byline] gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper .meta__byline gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper [data-component=meta-byline] gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper .meta__byline gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper [data-component=meta-byline] gu-island[name=FollowWrapper] svg path {
fill: var(–byline-anchor, #ffffff) !important;
}
[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
[data-rendering-target=apps] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
[data-app-os=ios] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper #main-media figure:before,
[data-app-os=android] .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=media] figure:before {
background-image: url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/atoms/2025/04/2025-weekend-essay-test/assets/v/1792770496/frame-white.png) !important;
}
}
#article article .furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=title]:after {
content: “”;
display: block;
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:root.inWhen Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s long-ruling dictator, was overthrown in the Arab Spring protests of 2011, his fall sent shock waves across the Middle East. It also helped change the face of modern Manchester.
Mubarak’s successor, Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi, was a sworn enemy of the United Arab Emirates, whose rulers feared the spread of Morsi’s Islamism. The UAE, a key Western ally, was concerned that David Cameron’s UK government was not taking a strong enough stance on the Muslim Brotherhood and warned ministers it could cancel billion-pound arms deals if Britain did not act.
A secret Whitehall unit was quickly set up to keep the oil-rich emirates on side. Lucrative investment deals were offered in private meetings later revealed by the Guardian. 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.
Fifteen years after the Egyptian revolution, a Guardian analysis reveals a sharp rise in the amount of land and property owned by the UAE government or Emirati developers in Manchester over the past decade — reaching 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 by Khaldoon al-Mubarak, the City chief executive.
The cheating scandal at Manchester City has put the spotlight on Abu Dhabi’s wider influence in the city, whose growth helped power Andy Burnham to Downing Street.
Through interviews with key past and present local politicians and officials, new data analysis, and an examination of public records spanning more than a decade, the Guardian can now tell the story of how the oil-rich state’s influence has grown, what it has meant for Manchester, and how it has fuelled concerns about the city becoming “a northern version of London.”
‘We were seeking a very significant investment’
Ten years ago, the sight of the murky-green Rochdale canal was a sign you had strayed too far out of Manchester’s lively Northern Quarter and should turn back. Now drinkers and diners gravitate to the area, drawn in by trendy waterside bars serving £6.90 pints and an artisanal bakery where a single croissant costs £7.50.
That transformation began in summer 2013, when David Cameron’s government sought to ease tensions with the UAE and asked Manchester city council to draw up three investment proposals for the super-rich emirates. One of these resulted in a £1bn deal called Manchester Life, under which the council sold a prime slice of city centre land to Abu Dhabi for £5m to build 6,000 homes, along with a right of first refusal on other projects.
Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester city council at the time, told the Guardian: “That was a UK government-brokered deal and we were obviously seeking a very significant investment for what would in total have been a £1bn scheme.
“Housing development in and around the city centre and Ancoats in particular had stopped and been stopped for several years. At that time there were no [other] developers who were either willing or able to do it.”Richard Leese wearing a City scarf in Manchester town hall in May 2010, when he was leader of the city council. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
In a press release, Leese praised the partnership as a “world-class example of regeneration” and “a platform for delivering more than 6,000 new homes.”
However, Manchester Life has delivered only 2,039 homes—a third of the total promised—while other developers are building a further 2,839. The total of 4,878 new properties is nearly 20% short of the 6,000 envisaged.
Despite the council’s longstanding policy that at least 20% of new developments should be social and affordable housing, only 8% of these 4,878 properties fell into that category—and Manchester Life provided none.
View image in fullscreenHomes-to-rent adverts in New Islington. Photograph: Mark Waugh/The Guardian
Food banks and luxury flats
A five-minute walk from the new Abu Dhabi-funded apartments, home to the city’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, the nave of a former Methodist church is stacked high with emergency food for people living on the surrounding streets.
The short walk to the Etihad Stadium passes through some of the poorest areas in the second most deprived local authority in England. Within just half a mile there are four charity food banks or distribution sites, one of which has a plaque marking its opening by Burnham in 2021.
“It’s bound to cause resentment,” said Mark Blake, chief executive of Manchester Central Foodbank, of the sudden influx of shiny apartments, expensive restaurants and well-paid tenants. “When it’s in your face and it’s during a cost of living crisis, it could potentially lead to some unrest. I think it should be a real concern.”
View image in fullscreenThe food bank at Trinity Ancoats. Photograph: Mark Waugh/The Guardian
Parking has become a flashpoint, with reports of cars being vandalised after being left on council estate streets by people living or dining at the Abu Dhabi-funded properties. Tenants of the upscale apartments are encouraged to leave food for local food banks in donation boxes in each of the luxury blocks.
“People are feeling all these cultural divides that play out through housing and everyday issues around parking,” said Alan Good, a Lib Dem councillor for Ancoats and Beswick. “Residents tell me they look at the shiny new towers and feel resentment—a feeling that they’re not benefiting from what Manchester is benefiting from.”
Good said he felt Manchester was becoming a “northern version of London” as an “insane” property crisis compounded the misery for the city’s 20,000 people on the social housing register.
Dr Matthew Stallard, a University College London researcher and chair of trustees at Manchester Central Foodbank, said there was an uncomfortable disconnect between the city’s national reputation—with “Manchesterism” becoming a byword for a thriving metropolis with an eye on broader social benefits—and the reality for many in the city.
View image in fullscreenMatthew Stallard, chair of trustees at Manchester Central Foodbank, in Ancoats. Photograph: Mark Waugh/The Guardian
“If you look at central Manchester and all the skyscrapers and you go out in every direction for a mile and a half or two miles, you’re then in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. In Ancoats, there’s a very clear line between where the money is and where the money isn’t.”
Awkward questions
In summer 2016, Burnham was keenly aware of Greater Manchester’s housing crisis. He told the Salford Star that if elected, he would stop large property firms from benefiting from multimillion-pound taxpayer-funded loans from the mayoral authority.
There were concerns, he said, that the Greater Manchester combined authority (GMCA) fund had “been used to provide loans to large companies, which should have used their own fInstead, it was too focused on the city centre and luxury developments.” Barely a year later, Burnham approved a £55m loan to Jersey-registered property firms owned by Sheikh Mansour, a member of one of the world’s wealthiest families with a reported fortune of about £300bn. Sheikh Mansour speaks with Manchester City player Pablo Zabaleta and manager Pep Guardiola during a training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2017. GMCA said its loan fund was open to all developers who met the lending criteria and that the loans had been repaid in full. But councillors on GMCA’s scrutiny committee are now investigating these decisions. There are awkward questions for Burnham too. Weeks before the loans were approved, he accepted hospitality from City’s owners at a meeting that only came to light last week after it disappeared from public records. The prime minister initially said he had had only one “significant” meeting with the club’s bosses – in 2021 – but five more have since emerged. Burnham said last week he had asked GMCA to conduct a “manual trawl of everything, as I want everything possible to be out there.” He added: “There’s no question about that – full transparency.” However, there appeared to be little transparency in the council’s long-term relationship with Manchester City’s owners. In December 2015, it signed a 10-year “collaboration agreement” with Abu Dhabi giving the emirate first refusal on land near the city centre. A specific clause effectively prevented the council’s democratically elected politicians from announcing the deal without written approval from Sheikh Mansour’s firm. Modern apartments in the New Islington area. Other Manchester developers only discovered this years later. “It’s blatant partiality on a massive scale. It stinks,” said one property consultant. A council spokesperson defended the clause as “a standard agreement between two parties that ensures announcements or information releases are agreed by all parties.” All of the property, now worth an estimated £350m, is ultimately owned by Sheikh Mansour through Jersey-domiciled subsidiaries, with the super-rich Emirati receiving the rent paid by the hundreds of mostly young professionals who live there. The council said it had received nearly £3m as part of an undisclosed profit-sharing agreement and a further £17.6m in council tax. However, the precise return to the taxpayer – and the terms under which the deals were struck – remain unknown. Leese, 75, stepped down as council leader after 25 years in December 2021 and became honorary president at Manchester City two years later. When approached by the Guardian, he denied the Abu Dhabi deal was shielded from scrutiny and defended his appointment at Manchester City. “This was something that happened after I retired from the council. Whether it would have been appropriate when I was on the council, I would have questioned that,” Leese said. One senior former council officer who worked in the property and development team described the culture in this period as “Kremlin-like” or akin to “a medieval court” where officials could show “no dissent” towards the decisions of the Labour leadership. “When you’ve got a council that’s 99% one party, there wasn’t really room for discussion,” they said, adding that they felt some senior leaders got “blinded by schmoozing around” with Abu Dhabi executives and others. Leese denied he got too close to Manchester City, the team he supports, or gave them favourable treatment as council leader. “There are a lot of players in Manchester that the city council is close to,” he said. Manchester City players lifting the Premier League trophy in 2018.“That’s how the city works – through partnership.”
Manchester City Council has strongly denied claims of a “sweetheart deal” with Abu Dhabi after researchers at the University of Sheffield concluded that the council had “sold the family silver too cheaply” by giving land to Abu Dhabi at a lower price than comparable developments.
The future No 10 North
In 2017 – three years after the first Abu Dhabi deal and the year Burnham became Greater Manchester mayor – council leaders made another huge bet. They paid £42m for a hollowed-out retail park next to the £1bn Manchester Life development, described at the time as the biggest land purchase ever in Manchester city centre.
The price was at least six times higher per acre than the adjacent land sold for £5m to Sheikh Mansour – and it would later be identified as the permanent future home of Burnham’s No 10 North.
This former retail park was also a partnership with Abu Dhabi. Again, the terms were kept from public scrutiny as members of the public were excluded from council hearings – but inside the town hall, the fallout was significant.
View image in fullscreen
The former central retail park being cleared. Photograph: Mark Waugh/The Guardian
A senior council property officer, Dominic Hayes, resigned abruptly in March 2018 over concerns about the deals the council was making with Mansour’s group. He listed a series of complaints in an email to the council chief executive, Joanne Roney, who the previous year had succeeded the all-powerful Howard Bernstein when he retired after 29 years in charge.
In a tense meeting days after the resignation, a senior council figure, Eddie Smith, is said to have told colleagues that Hayes had thrown them “under a bus” and that the leadership was furious. According to contemporaneous notes by a colleague, seen by the Guardian, Smith said Hayes had made “not acceptable [and] possibly dangerous” criticisms of a Manchester City board member who was a key figure in the Manchester Life deal.
Smith is then said to have commented: “You don’t criticise the council’s relationship with the football club in this organisation and hope to survive.” Smith, who left the council in 2020, denies making the comment.
Yet Hayes’ concerns were serious enough to warrant an internal investigation into governance at the council. It found that anxieties about the council’s deal-making were not limited to just one officer.
A second senior employee told auditors they were concerned that the council had “overpaid” for the rundown retail park, according to an official record of the meeting. That officer raised concerns that the Abu Dhabi-led project was “driving the master planning for a site they didn’t own”.
When Burnham became prime minister in July, the site was tipped as the permanent home for No 10 North. As scrutiny of the Abu Dhabi link grew in October, these plans were quietly shelved.
‘The fragility of the Manchester model’
Council sources noticed a change of approach under Leese’s successor, Bev Craig, when she became council leader in December 2021.
View image in fullscreen
Bev Craig in 2021, the year she was appointed leader of Manchester city council. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian
Craig ordered a review of the Manchester Life deal to make sure it was “all legal, all above board”, she told BBC Radio Manchester this month, adding: “The answer was yes.”
One of the reviews commissioned by Craig, who succeeded Burnham this year as Greater Manchester mayor, was published in July. It found that while the deals with developers such as Abu Dhabi had delivered “significant benefits”, there were “weaknesses in documentation, monitoring and assurance”, particularly around the profit-sharing nature of these deals.
Prof Jonathan Silver, a University of Sheffield researcher who has analysed the Manchester Life deal, said the growing buy-up of land and property by Emiratis raised “maThere are serious concerns about the fragility of the ‘Manchester model’ and its reliance on attracting international finance, whatever the cost. A banner thanking Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour was displayed during a Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty. Silver said there were “urgent questions” about what would happen to the hundreds of homes in the Manchester Life developments if Sheikh Mansour was forced or decided to sell Manchester City because of the cheating scandal. Leese remains confident the Abu Dhabi deals were a huge success for the city. Asked whether he would have handled the partnership any differently given the concerns raised by academics and others, he said: “No. Nothing that I can think of. It is a phenomenally good deal for Manchester.” Additional reporting: Carmen Aguilar García and Michael Goodier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Heres a set of FAQs on how UAE investment reshaped Manchester under Andy Burnhams mayoralty
1 What does Thats how the city works refer to
Its a phrase used to describe how Manchester gets big projects built increasingly by attracting foreign money especially from the UAE rather than relying only on public funds
2 Who is Andy Burnham
Hes the Mayor of Greater Manchester elected in 2017 and reelected since He oversees regional policy on housing transport and economic growth
3 How has the UAE changed Manchester
UAElinked investors have put money into major property and infrastructure projects including citycentre developments and the Etihad Campus area helping fund growth the city couldnt easily pay for itself
4 What is the Etihad Campus connection
Manchester Citys owner City Football Group is majorityowned by Abu Dhabis Mubadala That money helped transform the area around the stadium into a large sports training and entertainment district
5 Why does Manchester want Gulf investment
Because it needs billions for housing transport and regeneration and government funding alone doesnt cover it Foreign capital speeds up projects and creates jobs
6 What are the main benefits
New buildings and infrastructure job creation faster regeneration of rundown areas and a higher global profile for the city
7 What are the common criticisms
Concerns about transparency accountability of overseas owners rising property prices and whether local people benefit from developments built with foreign money
8 Is this unique to Manchester
No Liverpool London and other UK cities also court Gulf investment Manchesters case stands out because of the highprofile football link
9 What is Mubadala
A UAE sovereign wealth fund based in Abu Dhabi Its the majority owner of City Football Group which owns Manchester City and related clubs
10 Does Burnham control these deals
Not directly Many are private commercial deals His role is more about setting the strategy encouraging investment and negotiating public benefits like affordable housing or transport improvements
11 What practical problems come with this model
Long negotiation times complex ownership structures and difficulty holding distant investors accountable when things go wrong
12 Whats a practical tip for following these deals
Check Greater Manchester Combined Authority reports and council planning
