NEWPORT is today the newest city in Wales. Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine announced that Newport beat off competition from five other Welsh towns to clinch city status for the Queen's Golden Jubilee - after attempting to achieve it for almost a decade.

The Lord Chancellor's Office said that letters patent to be signed by the Queen and to confer the honour on Newport are being prepared, but that city status is effective from today.

Newport, unsuccessful in the 1994 bid for city status and again for the Millennium, now becomes the fifth city in Wales, after Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor and St Davids.

Preston, Stirling in Scotland and Lisburn and Newry in Northern Ireland also became cities today. One town from each of the home countries was chosen for the honour. Northern Ireland was granted two new cities because the Lord Chancellor said he could not choose between the two.

Exeter also gained a Lord Mayor. The Lord Chancellor said: "It was an extremely difficult competition to judge because all the towns in their own ways were exceptional.

"They all demonstrated a positive attitude towards Her Majesty's Jubilee. "These honours are sparingly bestowed as a mark of special distinction and the accolades were richly deserved by the winners."

The move, recommended to the Queen by the Lord Chancellor and warmly supported by Welsh secretary Paul Murphy, will strengthen Newport's fightback following the loss of steel jobs in attracting new employers and jobs.

Torfaen MP Mr Murphy said: "This news today will be welcomed throughout the town. The past 12 months have been truly traumatic for Newport and its people."

More than 2,100 steel jobs were axed in Gwent last year, with more than 1,000 of those going when the heavy end of the Llanwern plant was closed.

Mr Murphy paved the way for Newport's successful bid when the town lost out to be upgraded to celebrate the Millennium.

Mr Murphy persuaded Downing Street that Wales should be granted a new city along with Scotland, England and Northern Ireland to celebrate the Golden Jubilee. The news comes hot on the heels of the Celtic Manor Resort winning the bid to host the 2010 Ryder Cup.

The grant of city status confers no additional powers, but it is hoped that it will attract as much inward investment as Sunderland - which became a city in 1992 and which estimates that £5 billion has been attracted as a result.

The Welsh towns which missed out were Wrexham, Machynlleth, Aberystwyth, St Asaph and Newtown.

City status is granted by personal command of the Queen on advice from ministers. Only local authorities may apply for the honour, which is sparingly bestowed as a mark of special distinction. The last towns to be granted city status were Brighton and Hove, Inverness, and Wolverhampton to mark the Millennium.

Councils working on their applications were told that three main factors would be taken into account: notable features, including regional or national significance; historical and royal features and a "forward-looking" attitude.