Steve Coogan says working class are being 'ethnically cleansed' as redevelopment of northern cities does not benefit blue-collar workers

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

Steve Coogan has suggested that working class people are being 'ethnically cleansed' amid the redevelopment of northern cities.
The Alan Partridge actor, 59, argued that investment in sophisticated skyscrapers did not benefit blue-collar workers.
After backing the Greens at the last election, Mr Coogan appeared on BBC Breakfast on Friday to endorse the co-operative movement, which encourages businesses to share its profits among its employees.
He said: 'The problem with all these cities like Liverpool and Manchester is they've got all these big shiny buildings, but all the people who are disenfranchised have been ethnically cleansed from the area. They don't actually benefit.
'What the co-operative movement does is tries to keep that money in the area and empower people and try to mitigate and push back against the effects of big business.'
Mr Coogan also hit out at Nigel Farage 's Reform party for peddling 'racist rhetoric'.
'If the Government want to stop Reform making all these gains, instead of dealing with the symptoms of the problem by leaning into the racist rhetoric of Reform, they can deal with that by helping working people and the best way of doing that is to support the Co-operative movement,' he added.
The comedian, who backed Labour under Jeremy Corbyn in both 2017 and 2019, criticised the political fabric of the UK, accusing governments of prioritising the wealthiest members of society.
He claimed the co-operative movement aims to shift the focus towards working people and would soften the blow of Labour's recent welfare cuts which, after a chaotic backbench rebellion, saw the health element of Universal Credit halved.
Last minute concessions, however, meant that radical changes to personal independence payment (Pip) would be delayed until November 2026.
Mr Coogan also argued that a key reason post-industrial areas are 'dying' is the dominance of large supermarket chains.
He claimed the co-operative movement would ensure less money left the local economy, with profits reinvested into key projects in the area.
The movement is believed to date back to the 18th century but rose to prominence after the successful co-op at the Rochdale Pioneers' Shop in 1844.
Mr Coogan pointed out that the idea was birthed in the UK but he suggested that it has been making bigger gains in other parts of the world.
Earlier this year, the comedian starred in a two-part drama, written by James Graham, about Margaret Thatcher's 1989 interview with Brian Walden.
The star, who plays the former Labour MP turned London Weekend Television host, said that he had 'huge antipathy' for the former PM describing himself as 'very anti-Thatcher'.
He told the Radio Times: 'The one thing that I was worried about in this drama was being too compassionate because of her legacy.'
The actor even took exception to a scene written by Sherwood writer Mr Graham, 42, for being 'too kind' to the Iron Lady and said that she would now be diagnosed with a 'disorder'.
Mr Coogan added: 'In fact, in the edit we cut something because I thought it was a bit too kind and we wanted to remind people that there was this damage...
'She had vision and zeal, but she lacked empathy. Now, she'd probably be diagnosed with some sort of disorder.'