I undertstand that Keenair are close to making a decision not to fly the route, for two main reasons:
1. The competition from VLMs 5xDaily LCY-MAN
2. They have, so far, been unable to get an early morning slot into LCY...being one of the key services in the day, no-one wants to arrive in London after 9am, after the start of the business day.
So it would appear that Manchester, once again, have pipped Liverpool to the post on the London route. This reminds me of another time when Manchester was able to get a whole lot of extra frequencies into London (BD @ LHR) when Liverpool still couldn't get anything!