CLA · On the Record
Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire; shadow Home Office minister
“There are parts where white people won’t go. They are like no-go zones.”
What was said
On 5 October 2026, Blake Stephenson made the statement during a recorded Centre for Policy Studies fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.
Stephenson said he knew neighbouring Luton “reasonably well”, described it as “a shadow of its former self” and “a very dangerous place”, and said some communities lived in “ghettoes”. He also said the country should be “for all of us not just certain communities” and argued that such divisions required deeper integration.
Context and response
Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst rejected the claim, saying there was not a single street in Bedfordshire that was a no-go area for policing or the public and that he did not recognise any part of Luton as off-limits because of race, faith or background. Luton Council leader Amjid Ali likewise said the claim was untrue and unsupported by the facts. Faith and community leaders gave similar responses.
Responding to criticism, Stephenson told Hyphen that his remarks followed a concern raised by a Luton resident and reflected “a reality that many people now feel that parts of the town are unwelcoming and unsafe”; he said this should not be “sugarcoat[ed]”. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she was happy to stand by him while acknowledging that she did not know the context of his comments.
Ali said the leaders of Luton’s Independent Alliance and Conservative groups were joining him in making a formal complaint. The public statement did not identify the complaint’s recipient, and no outcome had been identified when this record was reviewed.
Evidence
Primary source: recorded Centre for Policy Studies fringe event, 5 October 2026
Contemporaneous report and transcript: The Guardian, 5 October 2026
Stephenson’s response and local rebuttals: Hyphen, 8 October 2026
Official council response: Luton Council, 6 October 2026
Current role: UK Parliament member record
Evidence status: Direct recorded statement, supported by a contemporaneous transcript and subsequent attributable response.
Legal status: Political speech and a reported formal complaint. No criminal charge, conviction, administrative finding or established party disciplinary finding is asserted.
Last reviewed: 14 October 2026
Follow the evidence: Get free CLA evidence and campaign updates by email.
About On the Record
On the Record is Civil Liberties Action’s public archive of consequential statements made by people and organisations influencing British public life. Inclusion is not an allegation of illegality. We publish the source, context and legal status so readers can judge the evidence themselves.
Source checked · Context preserved · Evidence available.
Responses and outcomes
Follow the response to this statement or incident →. The tracker shows the scope of the check, its sources and any gaps; it does not attach unrelated proceedings.