This is the moment President Xi's Chinese representative on the Unesco World Heritage Committee - Tian Xuejun - announced Liverpool had been stripped of its World Heritage Site status
Liverpool's Labour leaders today blasted the unelected Unesco bureaucrats on the 'other side of the world' who stripped the city of its World Heritage Site status despite delegates from the UN-backed agency not visiting for a decade.
The city was named on the World Heritage List in 2004, joining Venice, the Taj Mahal in India and Egypt's Pyramids because its historic docks were the UK's gateway to the globe and a symbol of Britain’s centuries of global trade and influence.
But it was placed on Unesco's so-called 'danger list' - which also features sites in Iraq, Syria and Palestine - after the £5billion Liverpool Waters project to restore the northern docks was approved with a new £500million football ground for Everton on the docks causing further concerns.
And following a secret ballot in Fuzhou, the World Heritage Committee - made up of representatives of 21 countries and led by Xi Jinping's deputy education minister Tian Xuejun - the 'Unescocrats' voted to remove the site from the list - with Guatemala and China rumoured to have voted for, and Norway against, the city's removal.
The decision described as 'incomprehensible' by Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson and her Labour colleague Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region mayor, who believe Unesco punishes cities trying to regenerate and would prefers places to be 'preserved in aspic'.
Mayor Anderson said: 'I'm hugely disappointed and concerned by this decision to delete Liverpool's World Heritage status, which comes a decade after Unesco last visited the city to see it with their own eyes'. While Mayor Rotheram said: 'This was a decision taken on the other side of the world by people who do not appear to understand the renaissance that has taken place in recent years'.
Unesco's main concerns appear to revolve around £5bn Liverpool Waters development of the waterfront and plans for Everton's new £500m football stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.
A Government spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are extremely disappointed in this decision and believe Liverpool still deserves its World Heritage Status given the significant role the historic docks and the wider city have played throughout history.'
Unesco's World Heritage Committee was advised to make the decision after a report said 'inadequate governance processes, mechanisms, and regulations for new developments in and around the World Heritage property' resulted in 'serious deterioration and irreversible loss of attributes'.
Announcing Liverpool had lost its status today, committee chairman Tian Xuejun said 20 votes had been cast. Thirteen had been in favour of deleting the city, five had been against the proposal and two ballot papers had been invalid.
Unesco today removed Liverpool from its World Heritage List after a United Nations committee found Government-approved developments including the new Everton FC stadium threatened the 'authenticity and integrity' of the city's historic waterfront
In an earlier report, the body also said that planning approval for Everton's proposed stadium at Bramley Moore Dock had added to the 'ascertained threat' to the waterfront's 'outstanding universal value' and signals a 'lack of commitment' to 'protect the property in the long-term'
Liverpool City Council was defiant today and tweeted there was 'no labels needed' for its historic docks
The decision described as 'incomprehensible' by Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson and her Labour colleague Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region mayor, who believe Unesco punishes cities trying to regenerate. Labour MPs in the area are also angry
Discussions on the future for the city began on Sunday but by Monday members had been unable to reach a consensus view and delegates from Norway proposed a secret ballot be held on the issue.
Announcing the decision on Wednesday, committee chairman Tian Xuejun said 20 votes had been cast. Thirteen had been in favour of deleting the city, five had been against the proposal and two ballot papers had been invalid.
Mayor Anderson said: 'I'm hugely disappointed and concerned by this decision to delete Liverpool's World Heritage status, which comes a decade after Unesco last visited the city to see it with their own eyes. Our World Heritage site has never been in better condition having benefitted from hundreds of millions of pounds of investment across dozens of listed buildings and the public realm.
'We will be working with Government to examine whether we can appeal but, whatever happens, Liverpool will always be a World Heritage city. We have a stunning waterfront and incredible built heritage that is the envy of other cities.
'Our commitment to maintaining and improving our buildings remains as strong as ever and will continue to be a key part of our drive to attract visitors, along with leisure, retail and events.
'I find it incomprehensible that Unesco would rather Bramley Moore Dock remain a derelict wasteland, rather than making a positive contribution to the city's future and that of its residents. I'll now be seeking to draw together all the UK heritage bodies in a round table to plan a positive future with further investment.'
In an earlier report, the body also said that planning approval for Everton's proposed stadium at Bramley Moore Dock had added
