Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor Paul Bristow has condemned Labour after his credentials to attend the party’s annual conference in Liverpool were abruptly withdrawn on Sunday night. The former Conservative MP for Peterborough, now directly elected Mayor of the region, revealed the ban in a video posted to X, where he accused Labour of insulting the people he represents.
“Last night I discovered they actually rescinded my pass to the conference; when I discovered that I laughed,” Bristow said. “It’s not a big deal. The fringe I am speaking at today is outside the secure zone. And some of the meetings I have I can rearrange outside the secure zone and it’s not a biggie at all.”
But as the Mayor reflected further, his frustration grew. “The more I reflected on it the more sort of cross and irritated I became because you know while I’ve been to the Labour Party conference a bunch of times when I was in healthcare PR this is actually a bit of an insult to the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough,” he said.
“Because whether you supported me or didn’t I’m the Mayor and it’s my job to come here. It’s my job to fight for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. I’ve got good meetings with Labour ministers. I had good relationships with them and the Labour Party; they go and do this.”
The Mayor pointed to a tradition of cross-party appearances at rival gatherings. “It’s not unusual to see a Labour Mayor for example Andy Burnham at the Tory Party conference a few times. This is just the normal thing. So why are they worried about what I’m going to say or do? That shows a lack of self-confidence. It’s also rude to the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who I’m elected to do a job for.”
“So you know, poor form lads. Shocker.”
Bristow’s remarks, posted in a two-minute video, have been viewed more than 226,000 times.
The row follows his barbed social media comments on Sunday night, when he wrote: “At the Labour Party Conference and all I see are long faces. MPs are talking about losing their seats and a poor performing PM. As a Conservative Mayor and former MP – it all feels familiar.”
Responding to criticism from Labour supporters online, Bristow later speculated the decision to revoke his access was linked to those remarks. He replied to one commenter: “Hurty words I think from a tweet where I said people were looking peeved.”
Despite the ban, Bristow pressed ahead with his scheduled public engagement at the conference fringe. On Monday morning he spoke on a panel hosted by the Eastern Powerhouse, exploring the Government’s vision for Cambridge as a global science and technology hub and its wider implications for the East of England.
While the Mayor stressed that meetings could be shifted outside the secure zone, he insisted Labour’s decision was petty, short-sighted, and disrespectful to his constituents.
“This is actually a bit of an insult to the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough,” he repeated. “It’s my job to fight for them. And the Labour Party, they go and do this.”
