There was a cross-party agreement that some of the toxicity needs to be removed from political debate at a public meeting in Deepdale last week.
The Light Foundation hosted an event on Thursday (2 October) at the Quakers Meeting House on St George’s Road to discuss the effects and impacts of political debate on asylum seekers and refugees.
The panel of speakers was made up of Cllr Matthew Brown, Labour leader of Preston City Council, Adnan Hussain, independent MP for Blackburn and County Cllr Tom Pickup, Reform representative for Padiham and Burnley West.
Cllr Tom Pickup, who was standing in for deputy leader Cllr Simon Evans who pulled out for health reasons, said: “To get straight to the question of the night’s debate, which is ‘is hostile politics endangering refugees?’, I think we all know the answer to that: yes.
“Hostile politics is endangering everybody, as the events today as the synagogue in Manchester shows.
“There’s a danger to the Islamic community, but also to right-wing politicians, as the repeated attempts to assassinate Donald Trump and the murder of Charlie Kirk show.
“We all need to temper the way that dialogue is done and get to a constructive way of discussing things.”
He went on to say that conversations about immigration from his party, Reform UK, were not about totalitarianism but more about sensible control.
He said: “I think Reform’s values are often twisted where if you have ideas about controlling immigration then you are labelled racist.”
Cllr Matthew Brown said: “The narrative that we do get [around refugees and asylum seekers] is completely disproportionate to the situation that we face.
“I think the United Kingdom is 20th out of European countries in terms of those that we do take [taking different population sizes into account].”
He continued: “Having any kind of heightened tension and fear is not good for anybody. The key issue we have in society at the moment is inequality. I would argue that this is the most fundamental issue we face at this moment in time.
“It’s not illegal to seek asylum – people have that right under international law.”
Adnan Hussain, a barrister by profession who entered politics in response to the situation in Gaza, said: “We must ask ourselves what is pushing people away from their homes. I say it’s wars and foreign interventions, the rapidly worsening climate crisis and a deeply unjust global economic system.”
He continued: “Seeking asylum is not new. It is a deeply human response that goes back centuries. People have always looked for protection, safety and dignity. The greatness of a nation can only be measured in how it treats the most vulnerable, especially those who have lost everything.
“When politics becomes toxic, it affects all of us. People start to feel unsafe walking the streets of our own hometowns. Neither the working class nor refugees are responsible for these circumstances, but time and again they are the ones pitched against each other.
“The narrative that refugees are to blame for the struggles of ordinary people in the country is nothing but dishonest.”
A spokesperson for the Light Foundation: “The discussion explored the profound effects of current political narratives and policies on refugees and asylum seekers within the UK. Throughout the evening, the atmosphere remained respectful and constructive, fostering meaningful dialogue across political divides.
“We also took a moment to solemnly remember the two innocent members of our Jewish community who tragically lost their lives in the recent attack at Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. Our thoughts are with their families and all those affected by this heartbreaking incident.
“This event created a safe space for open conversation, Questions and Answers, encouraging the public to engage with a range of perspectives on this pressing social issue. It sought to highlight the real-life consequences of “hostile” politics on vulnerable communities and to promote understanding and empathy.”
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