Reactions as Labour Party finally destroy election leaflet that carried anti-Travellers pledge

Labour will now withdraw and destroy an election leaflet that made pledges about “dealing with Traveller incursions” after heavy criticism.

Charlotte Nichols, the shadow minister for women and equalities, said she wanted to “unreservedly apologise” for the offence she had caused to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

The MP tweeted pictures on Thursday of herself and activists distributing the leaflet for upcoming local elections in her Warrington North constituency in Cheshire.

However, after being challenged on social media, Nichols initially said she wasn’t aware of the meaning of “incursion” or its negative connotation.

On Friday morning she said that she could “understand concerns raised about the language” used in the election leaflet, adding that the terminology around “incursions” appeared to be widely used in legal and local government contexts and she was unaware of its “problematic definition”.

After the criticism continued, Nichols tweeted a new statement that said: “I have spoken to the local Labour party, the leaflet has been withdrawn and the leaflet will be destroyed. I regret that this leaflet has been distributed in the town. The leaflet is not in line with my personal values or those of the Labour party.”

Laura Pidcock, former Labour MP for North West Durham, described the leaflets as a “disgrace.

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley called it ‘vile and obviously racist’ and asked Sir Keir Starmer to condemn the leaflet and ‘take appropriate disciplinary action.’

It comes after the passing of the Government’s police, crime, courts and sentencing bill in the House of Commons which hands new powers to police with regards to traveller encampments.