Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy warns of rising far-right recruitment at Labour conference

At a fringe gathering during the Labour Party Conference, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy warned that a noticeable change has made ordinary people more susceptible to far-right agitation. She highlighted her Wigan constituency’s historic resistance to fascism while noting that recent riots in Southport have drawn locals who would previously have avoided protests. Nandy stressed the need for respectful debate and supported the Britain Talks campaign’s push for civil discourse.

Brendan Cox, whose wife Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist in 2016, urged the audience to be less complacent about growing street hatred. Andy Burnham was cited as aware of the danger, and West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin described the online abuse she receives, dismissing it as mostly bot-generated. The speakers called for a stronger societal response to the rise in extremist activity.