'Make Wolverhampton the government city', says Hollywood star
Hollywood actor Brian Cox has reiterated his call for Parliament to be based in Wolverhampton - after comparing the city to the Australian capital of Canberra.
The star of Braveheart, Troy and The Bourne Identity wants to see a 'government city' created in the heart of the Black Country, using Canberra as a model.
The Australian city - the eighth largest in the country - was picked as a seat of government in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne.
In an interview in Calibre Quarterly, which is out on Thursday, Cox describes the UK 'a mess' and called for an end to the country's London-centric focus.
"I think Parliament shouldn't be in Westminster, it should be in Wolverhampton," said Cox, a long-serving Labour party supporter.
"That would be best. Make Wolverhampton like Canberra. Make Wolverhampton the government city. The whole London thing is just so ridiculous."
Cox first touted Wolverhampton as a potential new home for our MPs to do their bidding earlier this year, saying the move would cut members' living costs and prevent a repeat of the expenses scandal.
He has also nailed his colours firmly to the Jeremy Corbyn mast in the Labour Party leadership battle.
"There is a movement now as the people are understanding that something has got to change – and that's why Jeremy Corbyn caught on, because the guy's quietly got on with it for 30-odd years, sticking to his principals," he said.
"Now everyone's going," he scrunches his face up and affects a whiney, upperclass voice, "'Oh, this is not safe, somebody with principals, we don't want that'. And that's basically what they're saying, 'We don't want a man of principal'. That's what they're saying!"
