Birmingham Conservative leader reacts to Tory MP’s ‘godawful’ Birmingham comment
and live on Freeview channel 276
Birmingham Conservative Party Leader Robert Alden has written a letter to Tory MP fo South Derbyshire Heather Wheeler following her comments about Birmingham being ‘Godawful’.
He has especially requested that Ms Wheeler meets him at the Conservative Party Conference - being held in Birmingham in October - so that he can show her around the city and prove how wrong her ‘prejudice’ viewpoint was.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCllr Alden has outlined many key reasons why Birmingham cannot be described as ‘Godawful’, including the city’s cultural merits, architecture, green spaces, community spirit and people.
Heather Wheeler, Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary, has apologised for referring to Birmingham in this way - along with Blackpool - but her apology came too late to stop a wave of outrage from Birmingham fans about the city.
She was reported to have made the remark during a launch of the government’s new digital strategy in London on Thursday (June 9).
According to Chris Middleton, a technology journalist who was at the launch, the junior minister in the Cabinet Office said: “I was just at a conference in Blackpool or Birmingham or somewhere godawful.”
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe then said that a Cabinet Office official rang him after he first reported Wheeler’s comments saying it was a joke to break the ice.
What has Cllr Alden said about Heather Wheeler’s ‘Godawful’ remark?
Cllr Alden (Erdington) said: “I was very disappointed to hear your recent comments describing Birmingham as ‘Godawfull’ and whilst I note you have since apologised for this, I believe they were rooted in an all too common prejudicial view of our city.
“As such I would welcome the opportunity to meet up with you at the Conservative Party Conference this October to show you why Birmingham is a place with a rich history, a vibrant present and an exciting future. Far from being somewhere to deride in the way your comments have done, it is a city of which the whole country should be proud.”
Cllr Alden then outlined key facts about Birmingham to show how wrong Ms Wheeler was. These are:
- The city is the birthplace of the industrial revolution - Birmingham has been the engine room of the UK economy and it was the hard graft and entrepreneurial spirit of our city’s people that gave our country, and the world, many of the benefits of progress we enjoy today.
- It has also always been a city with a huge heart, providing a safe haven and a place to thrive for those facing religious persecution and helping to lead the anti-slavery movement, along with a culture of philanthropy that gave us such gems as the University of Birmingham, Bourneville Village and Cannon Hill Park.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad3. Our industrial heritage has not translated into a bleak landscape of ‘dark satanic mills’ but rather stunning Victorian and Edwardian architecture and more canals than Venice.
4. With other 8000 acres of green space, we are one of the greenest cities in the UK, from Lickey Hills to Sutton Park, the green and pleasant beauty of nature exists alongside the testaments to human innovation.
5. If you wish to dine out when you come to Birmingham you will have a choice of more Michelin restaurants than anywhere else in the country outside London, a curry in the birthplace of the Balti, or hundreds of thriving independents.
6. You could follow this by experiencing the magic of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the world class Symphony Hall, take a look around the internationally acclaimed Ikon gallery, or view the largest public Pre-Raphaelite collection in the world at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad7. Or travel out of the city centre and you will find the Barber Institute, Midland Arts Centre, ones the Evenings of Creativity in Erdington and hundreds of other community-based arts projects drawing on our rich and diverse culture.
8, Birmingham is also a city on the up, with the fastest growing rate of Foreign Direct Investment outside London we have also been the regional start-up capital for 7 years in a row with 18,394 new enterprises starting life in the city throughout 2020 despite the pandemic and have been ranked at the 10th best city in Europe for small business, the only UK city in the top ten.
9. Birmingham also has a thriving health and life sciences cluster thanks to its ability to leverage an end-to-end supply chain on its doorstep. Construction of the new Birmingham Health Innovation Campus, which is due to complete next year will allow the already rapid growth in this sector to go from strength to strength.
10. In just 45 days’ time we will be showcasing this potential to the world with the Commonwealth Games, that will see an estimated £1.2bn economic uplift. By placing Birmingham on the map, the Commonwealth Games will create an international platform for trade and tourism, allowing us to build on the Birmingham 10% of the UK’s international exports we currently provide.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad11. Of course, hosting the Commonwealth Games has been made possible by the huge display of confidence that Her Majesty’s Government has placed in this city. As a member of that Government, you will be aware that £600m of government funding is going directly towards hosting the Games, building upon significant investment through two devolution deals and city growth funds.
12. When you come to Birmingham will be able to see for yourself the benefits this government investment is already reaping, and why it is so important that this continues.
13. Birmingham is not without its problems, high levels of deprivation in parts of the city, alongside health inequalities, unemployment and skills shortages show why levelling up is critical. Much more also needs to be done by the Council Administration to address chronic problems such as street cleanliness, recycling, services to children with disabilities and the condition of housing stock as well as ensuring that investment reaches local high street and suburbs as well as the city centre.
14. But none of this changes the fundamental fact that Birmingham has been, is, and will always be a city of great beauty, enterprise and potential.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad15. Our buildings, our green spaces, our arts and food scenes are all tangible manifestations of what makes Birmingham great, but they are all driven by the one constant throughout our history, our people. It is Brummies who made Birmingham and our country what it is and we are rightly fiercely proud of our City.
A message from the editor:
Thank you for reading. BirminghamWorld is Birmingham’s latest news website, championing everything that is great about our city - reporting on news, lifestyle and sport. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.