A Tory shadow minister has sparked backlash after branding areas of Luton as “no-go zones” where “white people won’t go”.
Shadow home office minister Blake Stephenson claimed that some areas of Luton are “ghettos” as he called for parts of the UK to be “for all of us not just certain communities”.
The comments, made at a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference have prompted criticism from Labour MP for Luton North, Sarah Owens, who said they were “deeply irresponsible”. She accused Mr Stephenson of peddling “the same rightwing nonsense” as far-right activist Tommy Robinson and Reform UK.
Speaking at a Centre for Policy Studies meeting in Birmingham, Mr Stephenson described his experience of living in a village near to the area.
“I know Luton reasonably well because I live 10, 15 minutes away and represent Mid Bedfordshire, I live in a village just over the border,” he said according to the Guardian.
“I think the town is a shadow of its former self. There are parts of that town – and unfortunately the police will tell you this – it can be a very dangerous place. There are parts where white people won’t go. They are like no-go zones. It is not alone, there are other towns across the country in a similar situation. It is dreadful where we have got to.”
The comments echo sentiments voiced by Mr Robinson, real name Thomas Yaxley-Lennon. Yaxley-Lennon, who grew up in Luton, has repeatedly claimed the town is divided and cited some areas as supposed ‘no-go zones’ for white people.
Speaking at a fringe event called From Boriswave to Brain Drain: How Can We Fix Migration? Mr Stephenson said: “But we can move on from it but it requires deep levels of integration and we need to break apart these, erm… this is where it gets icky, but we need to make sure we don’t have ghettoes where there are no-go zones for anybody. The country is for all of us not just certain communities,” he said.
“But we can move on from it but it requires deep levels of integration and we need to break apart these, erm … this is where it gets icky, but we need to make sure we don’t have ghettoes where there are no-go zones for anybody. The country is for all of us not just certain communities,” he said.
Sarah Owen, the Labour MP for Luton North, hit back at the comments. She said: “It is deeply irresponsible for any politician, let alone a senior Conservative, to peddle the same rightwing nonsense about Luton that we see from the likes of Yaxley-Lennon and Reform,” she told the Guardian.
“It is simply untrue and the shadow Home Office minister should get off social media and get to know the fantastic Lutonians I’m proud to represent and call my neighbours. I’d also call on the new Lib Dem/Tory/Green coalition-run council in Luton to disown these comments from their colleague.”
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