A nationwide anti-racist group mobilised against Reform UK at their first north-west summit this month.
Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) held a summit at Central Hall, Manchester, and accused Reform UK of racist rhetoric and misleading ordinary working-class voters.
The upcoming by-election in the Cheshire constituency of Runcorn and Helsby was a significant talking point and many SUTR members believed it will have repercussions across the country.
Liverpool Riverside Labour MP Kim Johnson spoke at the event and said: “The situation is worse now than it has ever been.”
Johnson added: “We have mobilised in the past. We got rid of the BNP and the other far right scum that were trying to divide our communities.
“We have done it once, comrades, we can do it again.”
SUTR claimed that Reform UK used racism to divide communities and that they have vague policies that work against the interests of working-class people.
One leaflet handed out at the summit – titled ‘Reform is a racist party’ – described Reform UK as a “fraud” that wants ordinary people to blame migrants and refugees for the problems in Britain.
Reform UK dismissed these claims as “undemocratic and unbecoming of an open, tolerant democracy”.
Reform argued their policies address the impact of uncontrolled and illegal immigration on a wide range of policy areas, and pointed out the party has polled at or above Labour and the Conservatives.
SUTR treasurer and longstanding anti-racist activist Mark Krantz’s criticism of Reform lay primarily with party leader Nigel Farage and referred to him as “Britain’s number one racist.”
He believed a lot of people are looking to Reform because they want an alternative and did not necessarily consider Reform voters racist.
Krantz followed Reform UK’s January northwest conference online and said: “They only spoke about the boats of refugees, claims that Muslims are sex offenders and paedophiles, and that there should be mass deportations.
“When they talk to themselves, that’s what they talk about.
“But when they stand in elections they will say ‘the other parties have all let you down so vote for us.’
“The only thing they will deliver is hatred, bigotry and racist ideas that led to attacks like Southport.”
After incumbent Labour MP Mike Amesbury resigned following assault charges, a by-election will take place in Runcorn and Helsby on May 1.
Labour won the Runcorn and Helsby seat in last July’s general election with 52.9% of the vote share, followed by Reform UK candidate Jason Moorcroft with 18.1% of the vote.
Reform has since performed well in opinion polls nationwide and many at SUTR’s summit expected them to be competitive in the upcoming by-election.
North West Unite against Fascism and SUTR member Paul Jenkins chaired the summit’s opening plenary and described Runcorn as “the centre of gravity in the fight against Reform.”
Meanwhile Krantz said: “The Runcorn by-election is not a local by-election but a national question about the way forward for the country.”
David Owen is branch secretary of UNISON Halton and represents 2200 public and private sector workers in one of the boroughs within the Runcorn and Helsby constituency.
Owen said: “No one really knows what Reform policies are.
“It is all about racist views, picking up about refugees, Islamophobia etc – they don’t have policies.
“It is an open rhetoric that has no foundation. And for my members that is no use to them.
“They want to earn enough money to put food on the table and have everyday concerns that they are fighting against in a working-class constituency and Reform is of no use for that.”
Wythenshawe and Sale East Reform branch chair Dan Barker said: “Stand up to Racism’s attacks on Reform UK and Nigel Farage are undemocratic and unbecoming of an open, tolerant democracy where freedom of speech is something that is to be both celebrated and protected.
“Stand Up To Racism is a very poor example of far-left reactionary politics and is bordering on political extremism.
“Reform UK is actively promoting policies to address the impacts that high rates of mass uncontrolled and illegal immigration are having on public services, housing, infrastructure, welfare, rates of taxation, cultural identity and social cohesion.
“This is not a minority view, evidenced by the fact that we are currently polling at or above Labour and the Conservatives in many national polls and our support continues to grow.
“Reform UK is the only political party in the UK that has published a manifesto that proudly prioritises the needs of Britain and the British People. We are currently expanding our policy development in preparation for the next general election.”
Oldham Reform branch chair Paul Errock also said: “I can confirm Reform UK are not a racist party.”
Reform UK revealed that Sarah Pochin, a former Cheshire East councillor, will stand for them in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election alongside candidates from Labour, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, the Green Party and the Workers’ Party.
SUTR consider themselves an antiracist organisation, not a political campaigning party.
Krantz argued that their one political message is “don’t vote for the racist Reform UK” and that they decide not to advocate for an alternative.
The three-hour summit comprised panels of speakers and workshop sessions where attendees contributed their opinions to the discussion.
Speakers included SUTR members, UNISON and UNITE representatives, and activists for refugees, women’s rights and advocates for minority ethnic groups.
Feature image provided by Ben Winship
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