Yorkshire Party’s ‘real deal’ manifesto

THE YORKSHIRE Party launched its General Election manifesto with a pledge to protect greenbelt land and invest in infrastructure.

Party leader Stewart Arnold spoke outside Wakefield Cathedral on the day the Conservatives held their manifesto launch in Halifax and days after Labour launched its manifesto in Bradford.

He said: “In some ways we should be flattered that Yorkshire is getting all this attention.

“But to me, this is not the real deal. This is talking down to people and at people without proper consultation.”

The Yorkshire Party lists protection of greenbelt land and investment in infrastructure among its policies.

Holding up a copy of the Yorkshire Party manifesto, he added: “This is the real deal.

“A better economy, better education, better housing and a better democracy for Yorkshire.” A BRADFORD women’s charity which found itself at the centre of a political row when a Labour parliamentary candidate stormed out of a meeting has accused her supporters of “hijacking” the event.

Naz Shah was one of the two invited speakers at the ‘An Audience With’ event on Wednesday organised by the Muslim Women’s Council to encourage women from minority communities to take part in the democratic process. The other speaker was Salma Yaqoob, former Respect party leader who is now standing as an independent.

However just minutes into the event, Ms Shah walked out after her request for the Conservative parliamentary candidate, who was in the audience, to be allowed to join the speakers was denied.

In a statement last night, a spokesperson for the Muslim Women’s Council said: “The event was framed from the outset as an audience with Naz Shah and Salma Yaqoob, never a hustings.

“Naz Shah had the opportunity to decline our invitation in full knowledge of this. Instead we were bombarded with a barrage of calls from Naz Shah’s office and her male supporters, who eventually hijacked the event.” Ms Shah did not respond to a request for comment. But in a statement posted on Twitter, she said she had “felt no option but to walk out”. She said the event had been billed as a platform to encourage Muslim women to participate in the democratic process,but had turned into “a hustings in all but name” due to the mixed audience.