At this point, it’s a well-known fact that there is a trend in general of countries moving to the far right. Look at the AFD Party in Germany, for example, or the Republicans and MAGA in the USA. Several supporters of the far right own big social media companies (the likes of Elon Musk, for example), so there appears to be a lot of online radicalisation pushing people in this direction and I fear this trend can be found in Lancashire too.
Lancashire is my home
I’ve always lived in Lancashire. I was born here, I was moved to another town in Lancashire at six months old, I went to school here, I went to college in another town in Lancashire that took me an hour to get to on the bus each morning, and I’ve moved to a university in Lancashire about thirty miles from home. I’m proud to be from Lancashire in some respects. However, I have been appalled at the recent trends in the county of people starting to endorse far-right beliefs and supporting the likes of Reform UK.
I thought I was imagining things for a second in late June last year, when I saw a Reform bus go past Blackpool Zoo with people on the top of the bus shouting and holding placards. I was not, in fact, imagining things. A few weeks later, Keir Starmer’s Labour Party was voted in, yet Reform UK won a historic five seats … and four million votes. After the riots happened in the UK following the tragic murder of several young girls in Southport, I, like many others, was angry and upset.
Loss of life was used as an excuse for racism
The focus should have been on the tragic loss of life, but because of racism, people of colour were targeted and scapegoated, when the real issue was arguably misogyny, and not to do with the fact that the perpetrator is a person of colour. Some people online spread lies about this, claiming that the man was a brown Muslim immigrant (the responses would have still been racist even so) but he was, in fact, black, with Christian parents, and he was from Wales it turned out.
Spreading misinformation online and through a variety of other means is a popular tactic of the far-right, and it has been for as long as the internet has been around. Yet with more people spending time online than ever, I feel it is easier to manipulate people into having extreme political beliefs these days. Young people seem to be targeted a lot, but it certainly is not just them. When I looked up my new MP in July, it said on his website that someone who wanted to vote for Reform ended up voting Tory (which the MP was) because he felt “a vote for Reform is a vote for Labour”, which is a very simplified way of thinking. It made me wonder how many people voted Conservative with that mentality in mind, and how many more votes Reform could have had. It’s terrifying.
So, how has Reform made its presence felt in Lancashire specifically?
Reform in Lancashire
At Lancaster University, someone posted on an Instagram confessions page that they were considering starting a Reform Party Society. Although there is not yet a Reform Party Society at Lancaster University, there may be one in the academic year 25/26 as they may still be planning it. Everyone is entitled to freedom of speech, but actively making marginalised students feel as though their safety and security are at risk, given Reform’s rhetoric and policies, is inherently wrong.
This is especially true when taking into consideration that Reform UK are anti-immigration, and although not permanent immigrants, approximately 27% of students at Lancaster University are International students. Surely, this will make them feel unsafe since Reform’s immigration policy, from their website, directly states that they intend to: “introduce new visa rules for international students that bar dependents. Only international students with essential skills can remain in the UK.” Presumably, they get to define what ‘essential skills’ count as.
They also pledge to “close down fake courses and immigration schemes that abuse the rules”. Given the subjectivity in what can be considered a ‘fake’ course, it may mean that some international students worry that they could be kicked off their courses.
No student should have to deal with this concern, nor feel like those around them believe they should be kicked off their courses. How are they supposed to feel safe, knowing that?
Reform in St Anne’s
Another thing I found alarming recently when I was in St Anne’s, was seeing a Reform UK building, where people can go in and talk to members of the party from 10am to 2pm. I hadn’t been to St Anne’s for some weeks, so I was confused, alarmed and furious. St Anne’s is a place that is incredibly close to my heart, so the idea that racism is welcome there infuriated and shocked me. It also made me concerned for the people of colour living in St Anne’s. Just because it is a predominantly white area, that does not mean to say that it is an entirely white area, it is not.
According to 2021 population data on Lytham St Anne’s, a total of 1,658 people were identified as people of colour. That is not an insignificant amount of people. How safe do they feel? And do people who visit on holiday feel safe if they are not white? It makes me wonder how safe a place Lytham St Anne’s is for people of colour now, with this emergence and with a local saying he would vote Reform but chose Conservative instead. How many people in Lytham St Anne’s did that?
No doubt elsewhere as well
I don’t doubt that there are other places in Lancashire that are becoming more involved in far-right ways of thinking, and anti-immigration and racist beliefs, considering the growing trends in other areas of Lancashire, and in the country and the world as a whole. It really concerns me, and I dare say that if I am concerned and upset, then many other people will also be concerned and upset.
So, what can we do about this?
There are ways we can combat this. We can protest peacefully, make and sign petitions, and continually use social media as a platform for advocacy and anti-racism work. We can make sure that people know that racism is not welcome here, nor should it be welcome anywhere. Contacting local MPs is also important and putting up posters as well. Writing is a powerful tool, too. Using our voices, platforms, and privilege to elevate the voices of people of colour and to make it known that we do not accept racism, xenophobia, or Islamophobia.
Reform UK also holds anti-trans beliefs, proposing that so-called ‘trans ideology’ should not be taught in schools. What is really being taught in schools is just acceptance, equality, and diversity. Considering the fact that one of the core British values taught about in schools is supposed to be mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs, you would think that the people who harp on about British values would deign to follow them. It appears not to be the case, though. So, we must speak out against transphobia as well as racism and xenophobia.
Although this rise in far-right beliefs is concerning and is beginning to have an impact in local areas, and I certainly have my concerns for the sake of marginalised individuals in my area, I hope that Lancashire can show that it does not tolerate racism. We need to elevate the voices of the 13.4% of non-white people in Lancashire, and to make sure they feel safe and welcome living here. We need to use our voices and privilege to speak out against xenophobia, racism and transphobia and show Reform UK that their ideals and beliefs will not be tolerated, much less accepted and celebrated, in Lancashire.
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