Bench Across Britain: Labour-safe seat in Sheffield has mixed feelings for Keir Starmer

Published

1 year ago

June 24, 2024

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With betting an unexpected theme of this election, we’ve taken our parliamentary bench to the Sheffield dog track.

Bookies are lined up beside the arena and the people of Sheffield have come for a perfectly legal flutter on which greyhound can run fastest, while chasing a mechanical hare that they will never catch.

Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough is one of the most working-class constituencies in the UK – the seventh most deprived in England and Wales.

At the Owlerton Stadium a lot of the punters said they weren’t going to vote, one man in his 80s proudly said he’d never voted, but those who said they are going to the ballot on 4 July, say they want change.

Callum Fradgley, greyhound trainer, said: “I would like to see Labour win it personally, but that’s just a personal choice. I’d like a government that’s going to be more for the working class.”

Neil Kelly, a teacher on a day out with his family, said: “All you need to do is go into a school to see that the spending may be going up but it’s not going up in line with everything else. I work in a school in Sheffield for autistic kids and the facilities we have at some of the sites are frankly Victorian.”

Referring to Labour’s policy to remove the VAT exemption on private school fees, Mr Kelly adds: “I can only see that putting VAT on private schools is going to have a positive impact on public schools, if that spending goes towards public schools.”

Howard Wood, greyhound transporter, told us: “I will vote Labour. I have voted Liberal in the past but then they did a coalition with the Tories, so I’ll never vote for them again. Keir Starmer comes across as a cold person, but he’s a shrewd man and he will be a good leader.”

Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough is a safe Labour seat.

It was David Blunkett’s in the Blair/Brown years when it was simply Sheffield Brightside, and Blunkett kept it when the Hillsborough area was added and David Cameron formed his coalition in 2010.

Here, they voted for Ed Miliband in 2015, they voted for Jeremy Corbyn in 2017 and 2019. It’s a safe bet they will vote for Starmer in 2024 – but even so there are mix feelings about the current leader of the Labour Party.

Anne Ellis, tote operator and retired midwife, told us: “I’ve always voted Labour, always, but for the first time in my life I’m considering not doing that, because I think they’re far too right-wing for me. And I think it’s time to maybe look at an alternative, maybe the Lib Dems, I’m not sure.”

“I would have had Jeremy Corbyn back,” at this point she laughs, “but not everybody would”.

Darren Driver, greyhound racing commentator, said: “I think I’m like a lot of people, I think the election and the campaign at the moment is just boiling my head because it seems to be constant point-scoring.

“Conservatives saying what Labour aren’t going to do, Labour saying what the Conservatives aren’t going to do, Liberal Democrats saying what both of them aren’t going to do. Stop point-scoring and tell us what you are going to do.”

Joe Wood, greyhound owner and retired welding engineer, said: “I’m very, very undecided ‘cos I can’t stand Labour leader Starmer.

“I know he’s a wild card, but I keep thinking of Reform – just to put the cat among the pigeons. He’s forthright and he don’t waffle like most of them do. Over the years I’ve traditionally been Labour, but they don’t excite me.”

Starmer may not excite everyone at this dog track but he has driven his party to a position where it would be a huge shock if they don’t cross the line in front in this election.

It has been an exhausting journey back to political relevance, but, as it stands, it seems this constituency will get the government they vote for, for the first time in nearly two decades.

Politics

Part of Birmingham ‘can’t be no-go area for Jews’, cabinet minister tells Sky News

Published

10 hours ago

October 19, 2025

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Part of Birmingham 'can't be no-go area for Jews', cabinet minister tells Sky News

Aston in Birmingham can’t become a “no-go area” for Jews, a senior cabinet minister has told Sky News, amid controversy over fans of an Israeli football club being barred from attending a match next month.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said he “profoundly” disagrees with the “approach” taken by a local MP who started a petition calling for fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv to be banned from the Aston Villa game, saying it “cannot be the basis on which our country operates”.

But while he said the government is “working with the relevant authorities” to overturn the move, he can not guarantee it will happen.

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Alongside politicians of all parties, Sir Keir Starmer has strongly criticised the decision, calling it “wrong”, and the government has said it will work with local authorities to ensure both sets of fans can attend.

Speaking to Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Miliband said work is still ongoing.

“We are working with the relevant authorities on this issue, he said. “I think the principle here is we do not want a situation where people of a particular faith or from a particular country can’t come to a football match because of their faith, because of where they’re coming from.”

Asked if Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will definitely be able to attend the game, the minister replied: “I’m not going to say come what may, but I’m giving you a very, very clear indication of what we are working towards, which is that, you know, the fans from both teams can attend the match.”

Phillips put to Mr Miliband that a petition to ban their fans, launched by local independent MP Ayoub Khan, has been signed by nearly 4,000 people. It states the upcoming game is “not a normal match” because the Israeli fans would be arriving in “Aston, a diverse and predominantly Muslim community”.

Asked if Aston is now a no-go area for Jews, Mr Miliband replied: “No and it can’t be. And I’m very, very clear about that.

“I believe we as a country, we pride ourselves on our diversity, but also our tolerance and our hatred of prejudice, frankly. And so we cannot have a situation where any area is a no-go area for people of a particular religion or from a particular country.”

Asked if the local MP was justified in what he wrote, Mr Miliband replied: “No. I profoundly disagree with that approach, with what is being said in that petition, because that cannot be the basis on which our country operates.”

This isn’t how the vast majority of people in the UK operate, he added. “So let’s not take this petition and say it paints a picture of our country.”

Top Tory criticises ‘sectarian politics’

His Tory counterpart, Claire Coutinho, was highly critical of the petition, telling Phillips: “I think politicians need to have the courage to name some of the problems that this country is facing. And one of those problems is political Islam.

“Now, that’s not to say the moderate Muslim community are a problem in Britain, but we have seen in the past extremist Islamism […] and now we are seeing a movement of people – last election, five MPs elected – simply on sectarian politics. That may be higher at the next election.

“So we have to grip this, and part of that is dealing with rising antisemitism. But part of that is dealing with integration.”

The senior Tory MP described the ban overall as a “disgrace”, saying: “I think the message that is being sent to Jewish people in this country is that they’re not welcome here.

“This has always been a safe haven for Jewish people, and I think to say that we could not possibly police Israeli Jewish fans to watch a football match safely is reinforcing that message that Jews are not welcome here. And I think that is wrong.”

Match classified as ‘high risk’

In a statement on Thursday, Aston Villa said Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) – which issues safety certificates for every match at the ground – had “formally written to the club and UEFA to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend” the fixture at Villa Park on 6 November, as it had been classified as “high risk”.

The club said police had advised of “public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night” – a statement that triggered outrage across the political spectrum.

The move has been condemned by political and Jewish leaders, including Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar, who called it a “shameful decision”.

The Jewish Leadership Council said it was “perverse” to ban away fans because police can’t guarantee their safety, adding: “Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors.”

Sky News has contacted Mr Khan for a response to the comments made this morning.

Former Labour leader and now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn defended his fellow member of the Independent Alliance group in parliament yesterday, writing on X: “Ayoub Khan has been subject to disgusting smears by MPs and journalists, who have wilfully misrepresented his views in order to stoke anger and division.”

He added that he and his colleagues “diligently represent people of all faiths and none in their communities”.

Politics

Chinese tech giants halt Hong Kong stablecoin plans amid Beijing concerns: FT

Published

14 hours ago

October 19, 2025

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Chinese tech giants halt Hong Kong stablecoin plans amid Beijing concerns: FT

Ant Group and JD.com have paused their stablecoin initiatives in Hong Kong after Beijing regulators raised concerns over private firms issuing digital currencies.