AN online personality has produced a video singing Bradford's praises - after a top Tory made a controversial jibe about the city.
Jim Coulson, of Burley-in-Wharfedale, was appalled at Lee Anderson's comment earlier this week.
During a fringe event at the Conservative Party's conference in Manchester on Tuesday, Mr Anderson was questioned about the cancelling of the HS2 high-speed rail line between Birmingham and Manchester and how it would affect services in places like Bradford.
Mr Anderson, the Conservative Party's deputy chair and MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, replied: "Would you want to get there quicker?"
Fellow Tory MP Philip Davis, who represents Shipley, came to Mr Anderson's defence - telling the Telegraph & Argus his remark was a "light-hearted joke".
But Jim did not see the funny side - and it spurred him on to come to the city's defence in light of the caustic comment, which made headlines across the country.
Jim, who produces content under the pseudonym Bewildered Dad, put together a video talking about why Bradford is so brilliant.
What has Bradford ever done for us? Yesterday, Tory deputy chair @LeeAndersonMP_ questioned why anyone would want to get to Bradford more quickly. I decided to find out why… #CPC23 #BigUpBradford #Bradford pic.twitter.com/hwLClvslMn
— Bewildered Dad | Yorkshire Dad Blogger (@Bewildered_Dad) October 4, 2023
"What has Bradford ever done for us?" he asked at the start of the video, which was posted on X, before going on to list plenty of fabulous things about the city.
These include the fact it is home to the "great" National Science and Media Museum - and it also boasts the "best curries in the UK".
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Saltaire, "brilliant venues" like the Alhambra and St George's Hall, plus famous people - including the Bronte sisters, David Hockney and Kiki Dee - were also among the city's treasures highlighted by Jim.
He told the T&A: "It's tiresome when anyone uses Bradford as a lazy punchline - because there is so much to celebrate about the city and district.
"When it comes from someone in the Government, it's even worse - especially when it comes as they basically abandon the north's public transport needs other than a vague promise to do something… possibly."
Jim’s latter point referred to the Government's scrapping of the northern leg of HS2 - and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge yesterday to deliver transport projects that have been promised for the district for years.
The T&A asked Mr Anderson if he wanted to comment about the critical response to his "joke" - but he failed to respond.
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