Luton council and police reject Tory MP's 'no-go zones' claim as Badenoch stands by him
From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026 · last updated 8 October 2026.
Blake Stephenson, the Conservative shadow minister whose claim that parts of Luton are "no-go zones where white people won't go" was branded "completely untrue" by Luton Council leader Amjid Ali.A street in Luton, where Bedfordshire's police and crime commissioner John Tizard wrote to Blake Stephenson saying the no-go zones claim bore "a troubling resemblance to far-right agitators seeking to divide communities.
Bedfordshire Police and Luton Council have flatly rejected shadow minister Blake Stephenson's claim that parts of Luton are 'no-go zones where white people won't go', with local groups also inviting him to visit the town, after Kemi Badenoch publicly backed him and called him 'very sensible'. Badenoch told ITV she was 'very happy to stand by' Stephenson, even as Bedfordshire Police chief constable Trevor Rodenhurst denied the claims and council leader Amjid Ali branded them 'completely untrue' and sent Stephenson a formal invitation to visit.
Stephenson, appointed to the Tory frontbench just two weeks ago, said mass migration had been 'an absolute disaster' and called Luton 'a shadow of its former self'.
Labour Luton MP Sarah Owen accused him of peddling 'the same far-right nonsense' as Tommy Robinson and Reform UK.
Badenoch pointedly distanced herself from Reform's Robert Jenrick: 'Nigel has done my spring cleaning — Robert can go create all his problems over there.'
