“There is concern about the immigration process – that doesn’t always translate to support for Nigel Farage.”
Hello,
The humble vox pop is a staple for journalists. By asking people on the street their thoughts on the hot topics, we can keep in touch with public thinking.
Local democracy reporter (LDR) Ethan Davies is a veteran of the artform. And it’s a good job, because he and his LDR colleagues ended up speaking to a whopping 64 people on the streets of Greater Manchester yesterday about a particularly knotty issue – immigration.
Specifically Nigel Farage’s plan to deport up to 600,000 migrants over five years if he wins the next election.
After speaking to people in Bury and Manchester city centre, Ethan said the assignment certainly challenged his perspective on public thinking of Reform.
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He told me: “It’s clear there is concern about the immigration process currently in place but the substance of that concern differs wildly – from concerns about the amount of time asylum seekers are spending in the system, to the many people coming over the Channel in small boats. But that doesn’t always translate to support for Nigel Farage.
“A lot of people said they wanted any government to take action from deterring people from coming to the country but a good majority said they wouldn’t trust a Reform government to do that.”
Reform UK’s ‘operation restoring justice’ scheme would cost £10 billion and require the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights among other ambitious changes.
The announcement pushed the party into an eight-point polling lead on Wednesday, but as my colleagues discovered – not everyone is convinced.
Bradley Hornby, 24, works for the council and spoke to Ethan in Bury town centre.
He described his politics as “centre-right” and insisted “we need to do something about a bit of immigration” but said Mr Farage is “not the right person” to solve the problem.
“One of my issues with Nigel is it’s all just about immigration. I do not like his climate change policy,” he said. “But if you say that, it’s ‘you’re either with us or against us’.
“This country is very divided. There’s so much frustration because things are not getting better.”
As a Ukrainian refugee, Svitlana Cherniak has more of an outsider’s perspective on UK politics.
She moved to Manchester when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and says British attitudes to her own migration are proof Mr Farage “does not represent British values”.
“His politics are not good. It’s a step back not a step forward,” she said. “The UK welcomed me and my son when the war began – this guy does not represent British values.
“We need to be stronger. I think his ideas are only temporary.”
It’s well worth reading the mega vox compiled by Ethan, Nick Jackson, Declan Carey, George Lythgoe and Charlotte Hall.
Vox pops are an imperfect science, but they always offer a window into the thoughts of the voting public. And that’s something worth knowing.
On two conditions
Most of the flags were dotted around Piccadilly Gardens and Market Street(Image: MEN)
Union Jack and St George’s flags put up in Manchester city centre ‘overnight’ will not be removed by the council.
Videos posted online show men tying a Union Jack to scaffolding on Market Street, with more than a dozen UK and England flags spotted around Piccadilly Gardens on Thursday.
It’s understood Manchester Council won’t remove the flags as long as they do not present a safety concern, and putting them up has not caused criminal damage.
You can read more here.
Big changes
The new Premium parking area at the Trafford Centre is regularly mostly empty(Image: Jason Roberts/Manchester Evening News)
It’s currently free to park at the Trafford Centre – aside from those ‘premium’ spaces, which haven’t proved particularly popular.
But from Monday, there will be a limit to how long shoppers can park up.
Parking will be restricted to a maximum 12 hour stay across the majority of the centre’s 10,000 free parking spaces and no overnight parking will be allowed.
Bosses are trying to tackle a trend of people parking all day and heading into town on the tram.
We’ve got all the details here.
Tis’ the season
Manchester Christmas Markets will see a partial return to Albert Square for the first time since 2019 (file photo of Albert Square in 2016)(Image: Mark Waugh Manchester Press Phot)
It’s only *checks notes* 17 weeks until Christmas so it’s about time Manchester’s town hall chiefs announced their plans.
And they’re actually pretty exciting – because festive events will return to Albert Square for the first time in six years.
The Christmas Markets will be spread across 10 locations from November 7 until December 22 – while two key locations will continue the revels until January 4, 2026.
Dianne Bourne has all the details here.
I’ve tried to block it out
(Image: Greater Manchester Police Museum and Archive)
On the morning of August 15, 1953, an electric passenger train bound for Manchester struck a passenger steam train travelling to Bacup.
The steam engine was overturned, smashing through a parapet wall and plunging 70ft into the water below, drowning passengers trapped in its carriages.
Ten people died but Neil Robinson – who was 14 at the time – survived and saved another boy.
He previously told the M.E.N how he dived down to save six-year-old Jeremy Hall.
“I remember being in the water and seeing bodies around me but that’s as far as my memories go back – perhaps I’ve tried to block it out,” he said.
Noticing air bubbles rising from Jeremy’s carriage, he dived into the river and pulled Jeremy to safety.
You can read more about the events of that fateful morning here.
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Weather
Friday: Sunny intervals changing to cloudy by late morning. 20C.
Roads: A5067 Chester Rd westbound, Old Trafford, closed for roadworks between Talbot Rd and Bridgewater Way between 9.30am and 3.30pm until October 31.
A577 Mosley Common Rd closed for roadworks between Bridgewater Rd and Chaddock Lane until Nov 3.
A6 Chapel St westbound, Salford, closed for long-term roadworks between Blackfriars Rd and New Bailey St until January 19.
Manc trivia: The last giant santa to embrace Manchester town hall at Christmas was given a nickname for his bug-eyed resemblance. What was he called?
Worth a read
Noddy Lau with his wife Cyrus Chan outside their coffee shop (Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
On the outskirts of Ancoats, where Oldham Road meets Great Ancoats Street, a hub of South East Asian businesses have created a community serving some of the best food in Manchester.
Jenna Campbell visited the traders in Manchester’s Little Vietnam – also known as ‘Scranoi’ – who are giving those in Chinatown a run for their money.
You can read all about it here.
Trivia answer: Zippy.
