Reform UK chief whip accused of using The Harris to ‘cynically increase tensions’ in the community

Today's edition of The Lancashire Lead comic is sponsored by the Dandy

Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.

I have to offer begrudging congratulations to Cllr Luke Parker who got an out-loud laugh from me this weekend.

In response to our questions for this story, he responded with: “I have zero comments for your comic. But thanks.”

The topic at large, however, isn’t funny. Parker has been accused by the leader of Preston City Council of using The Harris - which recently reopened to much fanfare - to whip up division in communities.

That’s due to an AI-generated image showing a crowd of asylum seekers waiting to get into the building - created in response to The Harris getting the ‘Museum of Sanctuary’ accreditation.

We’ve explained what a Museum of Sanctuary actually does and included all the responses from everyone involved, and it’s important to note libraries across Lancashire - which are managed by the county council - are accredited as Libraries of Sanctuary in a similar scheme and have been since 2023.

I’ll be having a Cow Pie for tea this evening, for sure.

Lancashire briefing

🤝🏻 It was an unusual sight on the Flag Market in Preston on Saturday as Reform, Greens and even one Labour member came together to protest against the cancellation of local elections in 2026. Organiser Jemma Rushe, who was unsuccessful in a bid to be elected as a Reform county councillor in May, has called on all sitting councillors who were due face elections to resign - and so face a by-election. That sentiment has been echoed by suspended Reform UK councillor Tom Pickup for Burnley. Avery Greatorex, the Green Party chair in Preston, said she joined because she felt the opposition should be cross-party rather than Reform-led.

🗳️ The one part of Lancashire where this year’s local elections were set to go ahead has had them cancelled by the government. Voting was scheduled to proceed as planned in Pendle after the borough was last week left off a list of six other council areas in the county where ministers had decided to pull the plug on the scheduled polls. However, the local government secretary announced on Thursday that he would now also scrap Pendle Council’s elections after receiving “further evidence” from the authority about how doing so would help it prepare for a forthcoming shake-up of Lancashire’s council system. Cllr Whipp, Lib Dem leader of Pendle Council, said the U-turn showed that the government “are just running around like headless chickens”.

😂 A Labour MP has quashed rumours he might join Reform UK – but said immigration and small boat crossings are serious issues the government and left-wing politics must tackle. Pendle and Clitheroe MP Jonathan Hinder posted a video, where he also calls for a national industrial policy and ‘an end to ‘bull**** jobs’, after online comments suggesting he might go to Reform. The video begins with Nigel Farage telling a press conference a Labour politician will join Reform soon and online comments speculating about ‘Hinder’. But then Mr Hinder appears, saying “Are you having a laugh? Me? To Reform?”

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Reform UK chief whip accused of using The Harris to ‘cynically increase tensions’ in the community

Queues to get into The Harris over Christmas during the Wallace and Gromit exhibition

By Luke Beardsworth

Reform UK’s chief whip at County Hall has been accused of using a Preston landmark to ‘cynically increase tensions’ in communities.

Cllr Luke Parker, Reform UK’s county councillor for Preston East, posted an AI-generated image of The Harris with asylum seekers outside under the header: “Harris Museum as a Migrant Sanctuary?”

In his post, he attacks Preston City Council’s leader Matthew Brown over the decision made by the authority earlier this month for the site to join the Museum of Sanctuary scheme.

He said: “Labour’s Preston council leader Matthew Brown wants to turn the Harris Museum into a sanctuary for asylum seekers under a government scheme.

“This is the same Harris Museum that has only just reopened after a multi-million-pound refurbishment, paid for by taxpayers.

“A cultural landmark. A public space. Recently restored for residents, families, schools, and visitors.

“And Labour’s idea is to repurpose it without a public mandate, for a scheme that should never be imposed on communities without consent.

“This isn’t compassion. It’s misplaced priorities.”

But Cllr Brown said that Cllr Parker is attempting to suggest that the museum will be used as accommodation for asylum seekers - which is not what joining the Museum of Sanctuary scheme means.

When a cultural site becomes a Museum of Sanctuary, it needs to show a commitment to being a safe, welcoming space for refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. A number of museums in Manchester, Liverpool and across the UK are part of the scheme.

The Harris reopened in September 2025 after a £19m renovation project. For the site, becoming a Museum of Sanctuary will mean better promoting services it already offers - such as reading support, volunteering opportunities, English classes and a site for free internet.

Lancashire County Council, the authority where Cllr Luke Parker sits, is responsible for managing the library at The Harris.