Reform UK group on Bradford Council lose controversial city of sanctuary withdrawal motion
A roundup of some of the biggest stories this week.
The Reform UK group on Bradford Council saw its bid to abolish Bradford’s city of sanctuary status defeated in an extremely tight vote at City Hall.
It took just one vote to bring the “divisive” motion down, with 38 voting against it and 37 voting for it. All of Reform’s councillors backed it with the support of some Conservative councillors.
One Conservative councillor, Peter Cochrane, joined what the Labour group on Bradford Council described as a “coalition of decency” by voting against it. Other Conservative chose to abstain.
The motion, which had been put forward by councillor Ian Walker, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and communities, had claimed that the status committed “the local authority to principles of additional welcoming and support for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers”.
Further, the motion, which was seconded by councillor Ian Eglin, portfolio holder for corporate resources, suggested that the status – or “movement” as it was described – had “strategic ambitions to achieve ‘migrant justice’ and progress other political causes, which may inappropriately influence policy decisions, resource allocation and organisational priorities”.
Reform used a local motion to try to push a national agenda about immigration, which the council has no say about,” the Labour group on Bradford Council said later.
“We argued that our people in the Bradford district treat others with kindness, compassion and care. People look after each other, particularly those who fall on hard times - no matter who they are or where they're from.
"The whole chamber united against a Tory and Reform union ... It was the right outcome but this unnecessary debate has caused a lot of heartache and worry for lots of people in our communities.”
Commenting on the vote afterwards, the Reform UK group on Bradford Council accused the Conservatives of helping defeat the motion, arguing that they “sought to delay the decision with yet another review”.
“Timidity is just typical of the Tories,” said councillor Oliver Williams, chief whip for the Reform UK Bradford Council. “When presented with ample opportunity to defend the public interest, they always lack courage for fear of criticism.
“Whilst in national government, the Conservatives presided over unprecedented levels of both legal and illegal immigration, which we should never forgive and forget.”
Speaking at City Hall last night, councillor Anna Watson from the Green Party group on Bradford Council described the motion as a “move to pit communities against communities".
“We owe it to the people of Bradford, to all those people who give their time, their compassion and their love to strangers, so that they too can find peace and safety here in our city” she added. “And, most importantly, to the people who have chosen to make this great city their home.”
Conservative MP accuses PM of being “all over the place” with the farming sector
A Conservative MP has accused the prime minister Andy Burnham of being “all over the place” with the farming sector.
Robbie Moore, the MP for Keighley and Ilkley, said that Burnham “hadn’t got to grips with the detail”, even as if he was “rushing into closer ties with the EU”.
“He is misquoting the NFU [National Farmers’ Union] from the dispatch box and is now asking me to send him a copy of CropLife UK’s economic impact assessment which was sent to DEFRA 10 months ago,” he said. “I am deeply worried for our farmers under his watch.”
Moore was speaking after he had asked the PM in the House of Commons if he had anything to say about the concerns of the industry, citing a report that had been compiled for CropLife UK, which suggested that “aligning the UK’s crop protection rules with the EU would slash farming income by up to £810 million in the first year alone”.
In the announcement of its report, CropLife UK, which describes itself as the voice of the UK crop solutions industry – it has been described Farmers Weekly as a pesticide lobby group – said that a “badly” negotiated new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU “could wipe out 10% of farm income”.
Responding to Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, after he had given a statement to MPs about the “United Nations General Assembly and related international events”, Burnham said that he agreed that Brexit had done damage to food and farming.
“It would seem that the Conservative Party is in denial about this, and not open to seeing how we can move forward to a better position for the country,” the PM said.
Bradford City stadium fire nurse to retire after 44 year career
A nurse who has been described as one of the last to have cared for some of the victims of the 1985 Bradford City stadium fire has retired after a 44-year career at Bradford Teaching Hospitals.
Angela O'Neill, who began her state enrolled nurse training in 1982, will finish her last shift on 31 October 2026, said she will spend some of her retirement ticking off a “bucket list of places” she wants to visit and “adventures” she wants to have.
Remembering the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 56 people and injured around 265, Angela remembered being off-duty when an urgent call came in.
“I picked up the communal phone and heard a voice say, 'get as many off-duty staff down to accident and emergency as soon as possible to help with burns’ patients,'” she said.
"A colleague and I ran as fast as we could … it was chaos – because of the number of staff and people in the department – but organised chaos as the team leaders were brilliant and the teamwork was second to none.
“Everybody came together and the camaraderie between patients and staff was amazing. In the face of such adversity, it was that community spirit that pulled us through."
Speaking about her diagnosis with secondary breast cancer in 2022, which has seen her continue working as she received treatment, Angela said that it had been an “honour to support patients going through the same journey as I had”.
“Being able to tell someone, 'I know what you're going through, and you will come out the other side,' was a privilege,” she said.
Bradford East MP lambasts Reform UK’s national leader
The Labour MP for Bradford East has criticised the national leader of Reform UK, arguing that he has spent years “fuelling division” and “scapegoating migrants”.
Responding to a Daily Mirror story that ran the headline, Andy Burnham holds Nigel Farage “significantly responsible” for the UK’s “miserable decade” – a reference to the post-Brexit landscape – Imran Hussain said that the former I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! contestant had helped to create “a toxic political environment”.
“This inflammatory rhetoric has helped normalise and create a hostile environment for minority communities,” he went on to say. “Britain deserves better than the politics of fear, hatred and division.”
The Mirror had attributed the quotes from Burnham, the prime minister, to the interview he gave to the podcast The Rest is Politics Leading, during which he told Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell, the hosts, that Farage had “given Britain a decade of division and drift”.
This isn’t the first time that Hussain has called out Farage. Writing for Labour Outlook in June earlier this year, he described the Reform UK leader of having “Trump-style politics”, urging what was then a Labour Party accused of apeing the right to “return to core Labour values”.
Responding to Hussain’s Facebook post in which he lambasted Farage’s right-wing populism, one member of the public argued that Reform UK’s national leader had spent years “telling and exposing the TRUTH”.
She said: “He's the modern day equivalent of Enoch Powell and oh how different our country would be if we listened then.”
Another responded: “Farage is totally responsible for most of the division and hatred we see on a daily basis. Quite right!”
West Yorkshire mayor invites public to ask questions about buses
The mayor of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has invited members of the public to ask her questions about her plans for buses in the region at a “special edition” of Mayor’s Question Time.
On 22 October, the mayor will be answering questions about buses, from its role within the ambitious Weaver Network and the cost of fares to safety, accessibility and inclusion.
"People taking the bus day in, day out, understand what does and doesn't work in West Yorkshire," Brabin said.
“Our ambitious plans for a better-connected region have been created with the help of passengers telling us about their experiences. So as we gear up for our publicly owned, Weaver Network buses hitting the roads, I want to hear from you."
Earlier this month, the WYCA lifted the lid on the new fleet of Weaver Network electric buses, which will hit the streets of West Yorkshire in the spring of 2027.
That date will also mark the beginning of the phased return of buses under public control, which is set to be complete by the back end of 2028.
“For too long, buses have been run in the interests of private companies, not passengers,” Brabin said in March 2024, as she announced plans to reverse the privatisation of the running of buses in the region.
“Franchising will help us build a better-connected bus network that works for all, not just company shareholders.”
The Weaver Network is the WYCA’s response to delivering an integrated transport network for West Yorkshire, which will aim to “join up” different modes of travel to make getting around the area easier.
Also in The Journal: we went on a journey to discover more about councillor Stephen Place, Bradford Council’s new leader:
For a while, Stephen Place was content with sharing his two cents on social media. He had no qualms about what he posted. This was who he was, what he thought and how he saw the world. Not that it mattered (basic civility notwithstanding). He wasn’t worth paying attention to. He didn’t have anything interesting to say. He was just another unremarkable and predictable voice on the online right drowned out by the feverish clamour of a “virtually lawless public square” overflowing with people clamouring to be heard and seen in an AI-powered “golden age of stupidity”.
Here's what we found out.
