20/10/2026
Standing up for our communities against racism and division
Councillors have a duty to represent every resident, regardless of their faith, race, gender or background. That means treating people with dignity and respect, bringing communities together and ensuring everyone feels safe and valued.
Recent events have raised serious concerns about the conduct and positions of both Reform UK and the Green Party.
📢 Reform UK must answer for the remarks of its councillors and candidates. An undercover ITV Exposure investigation recorded Reform representatives making remarks described as racist, Islamophobic, sexist and misogynistic. Senior Reform politicians have also questioned whether people of Asian and African heritage, born and raised in this country, can call themselves English.
These comments demand a response.
We are calling on Reform councillors in Bury to publicly condemn racist, Islamophobic, sexist and misogynistic remarks made by their colleagues and leaders. Will they make clear that such views are unacceptable, regardless of who expresses them? And will they call on their party’s leadership to apologise to the communities affected and explain what action will be taken?
Silence is not enough. Bury residents deserve to know that every councillor elected to represent them will defend their right to be treated equally and with respect.
✡️ The Green Party must also address concerns raised by its conference motion on Zionism. The motion has been criticised for equating Zionism with racism and abandoning support for a two-state solution. The Labour Group believes this position risks alienating Jewish communities and undermining the prospects for a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
The Greens must listen to those concerns, reconsider their position and make clear how they will protect Jewish residents from antisemitism and intimidation.
These are different issues, but both raise fundamental questions about the responsibility political parties have to the communities they seek to represent.
Here in Bury, racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, sexism and all forms of discrimination have no place in our communities or our town halls.
Political disagreement is part of democracy. Prejudice and intolerance must never be allowed to undermine the principle that every resident deserves equal respect and representation.
Our message to all councillors is simple: stand up for every community, challenge discrimination wherever it comes from, and bring people together rather than drive them apart.
