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Smallest official city in the UK is St. Davids, with ~1,750 people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Davids

The UK definition of a city is arbitrary and unrelated to the usual meaning of the word. St Davids is objectively a small town.

Indeed. Southend was given city status in 2022 simply because their MP was murdered.

Croydon is twice the size of Southend and will probably never become a city.