Letter to Editor: Labour candidate: “The people of our town chose regeneration, investment and unity over division, hate and racism”.
Elections / Mon 11th May 2026 at 07:56am
FOLLOWING the result of Thursday’s election, I want to congratulate Simon Carter of the Conservative Party on his victory in Little Parndon and Town Centre ward.
Thank you to everybody in Little Parndon and Town Centre who came out to vote Labour and showed their support. I’m also hugely grateful to my colleagues and campaign team who helped run such a positive campaign in the area.
While the result was not what we wanted, I do take heart from the fact that Reform did not win in Little Parndon or indeed Harlow. The people of our town chose regeneration, investment and unity over division, hate and racism. That matters.
I stood for unity, and I’m proud that across Harlow we saw Reform pushed back in both the local and county elections. Congratulations also to the Harlow Conservative Party on their success.
I also want to give a special thank you to Stand Up to Racism Harlow, who delivered thousands of leaflets and newspapers informing residents about Reform and the politics of division they represent. Their hard work and commitment to our community should be recognised.
Serving as a councillor since 2016 has been a real privilege. I want to thank every resident who trusted me with their concerns and allowed me to support them over the years.
For now, I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and taking some time for myself — but I’ll still be around I will continue to fight for hope over hate and unity over division.
Onwards and upwards, and thank you again to the people of Harlow for standing for unity and keeping racism out of our town.
Regards
Lanie
David Forman
2026-05-11 08:20:05
They also chose a competent Conservative team who could be relied upon to deliver the regeneration of our town. Labour and it's local branch needs to ditch the billionaire financed Labour Together faction. Harlow Labour need to start being diligent in its role as the official Opposition. Also, not doing a chicken run would help for future reference.
Mark Gobell
2026-05-11 08:30:51
28% of those who bothered to vote at all, voted for Reform who won 1453 seats. So by "Lanie logic", they all voted for "division, hate and racism". Labour Lanie came 2nd in Little Parndon and Town Centre, with Reform coming 3rd - the only seat in Harlow where Reform did not finish 2nd. Labour Lanie's damning indictment of millions of voters and unsurprising contempt for the democratic process is noted...
Mr George
2026-05-11 08:47:44
Sadly I think had it not been for the start of regeneration of our town and a very badly run Reform, Reform would have got in. I wouldn't give credit for the people of Harlow because Reform got many votes. If Harlow was bothered about hate and division they would have had a whole lot less. It is just a silver lining that Reform didn't get any more seats.
Tim smith
2026-05-11 09:03:58
Ecc is now reform having been tory for 25 years so harlow got lucky this time, I didnt vote because simply this time there wasn't anyone worth voting for, harlow is still gridlock city with badly maintained roads and a badly run council, building loads of new flats/houses just makes the problem worse
Mike Harlow
2026-05-11 09:04:33
"Noted" eh Mark. Who do you think you are, Liam Neeson?
Stephanie Marsh
2026-05-11 09:13:14
Mark actually makes one valid point. Lanie was indeed the only candidate in any ward to push Reform into 3rd place. I personally congratulate her on this!
Val
2026-05-11 09:56:54
Lanie Shears, who is on hard left of Labour and a Momentum supporter continues to label people in a divisive, disparaging and condescending manner and wonders why they are unpopular. The Conservatives beat all opposition parties combined. They won not because they ran the best campaign, but because they have vision for Harlow and a track record of competence and delivery which inspires confidence. Lanie is completely wrong in rejoicing the defeat of Reform; the great losers were Labour, who lost all the seats they were defending and not just lost, they were obliterated in all their safest seats, including their flagship ward of Little Parndon. Across the town they mustered a mere 13.2% of townwide votes compared to the Conservatives 56.7%. That is a disaster for Labour. On Essex County Council they have just 1 seat. Their campaign was truly pathetic and completely ineffectual as has been their performance in the Council Chamber. They have become an irrelevance in our local politics.
Leeroy Makinson
2026-05-11 10:08:24
As a black man living in Harlow for 27 years I can tell you there is no racism. It’s just a lefty excuse to blame and cause division between the people. I’m sick to death of people causing unnecessary tension. It’s the white people telling me about racism that doesn’t exist I’m sick off it
Mike
2026-05-11 10:57:59
I doubt if the flags will come down now that Essex is run by Reform. So that should end this futile debate. The flags are nothing to do with Harlow Council as they are on EEC property and the expense of removing them would probably be unlawful by Harlow Council. Anyway, why bother when they would probably be up again within 48 hours as has happened elsewhere where Labour councils have wasted taxpayer money removing them. Waste of time and public money that could be spent upgrading sports fields or children's play areas, etc that are much more important.
Barry
2026-05-11 11:04:16
Well said Leeroy Makenson. It is just these-called virtue signalling left wing cranks who foment tension and division where none exists. If you see most schools they have a wide mix of ethnicities and the kids get on fine. It is the sinister indoctrination that creates friction and labelling by race, ethnicity, gender, etc. Just treat people as human beings and most of the problems would vanish.
Tomsk
2026-05-11 12:08:03
Barry. "Just treat people as human beings and most of the problems would vanish". I fully agree with that. But you are quick to blame the left for the problems. Does treating people as human beings extended to immigrants and asylum seekers? And what about the right-wing Reform candidates now councilors from Essex and other parts of the country making comments about - melting down Nigerian people to fill potholes; or celebrating the vicious rape of a Sikh woman by a white supremacist; or saying that black people have smaller brains. Is that treating people as human beings? And they are Reform councilors, heaven knows what some of the supporters of these people say and think.
Frank
2026-05-11 12:54:11
Oh dear, this is the problem with the left, a vote for reform means your racist, until you stop giving the average working class man such a label, they won’t return to labour
Guy Flegman
2026-05-11 14:30:33
If the Labour government had any respect for our democracy they would call an election. It’s clear from last weeks results that they have lost their mandate and the confidence of the people. To continue in power just shows contempt. A very sad state of affairs indeed.
Mr George
2026-05-11 15:04:34
Guy, they were voted in democratically. Literally what you are advocating for, it doesn't change because you don't like them. A lot of people now think Brexit was a mistake but it's done now, the people voted and that's what stands, we're not having another referendum.
Joanna Munday
2026-05-11 15:32:03
Only labour, green, snp, mayor khan create division and hate not reform
Mark
2026-05-11 15:38:04
Great post Leeroy. It's great to hear from you, and your highly valued point of view.
Roz
2026-05-11 16:51:49
Lanie Shears, the only party to be found guilty of institutional racism by the independent Equalities & Human Rights Commission was your own Labour Party for antisemitism!! People in glass houses.....
Seamus
2026-05-11 17:29:41
Lanie, do you read what you write? " I do take heart from the fact that Reform did not win in Little Parndon or indeed Harlow. The people of our town chose regeneration, investment and unity over division, hate and racism. That matters." This is the constant trope from the far left in saying all in reform and their voters are racists. Before reform you used it on the tories and in fact, the far left has always called anyone who disagree's with them, racist. You then said "I also want to give a special thank you to Stand Up to Racism Harlow, who delivered thousands of leaflets and newspapers informing residents about Reform and the politics of division they represent." Stand up to racism are hardly the moral arbitors you paint them as. You don't even see posting leaflets by a far left group with wildish claims about another group is the very same division Labour accuse others of. Like Starmer, you seek to target a group to blame for labours own downfall, rather than accept that labour lost because of who labour are. That is the real divison and nastyness, the far left. I have grave concerns about dan, him being thin skinned, doesn't like being accountable but harlow has spoken in an election based on Harlow and it's future. I hope you enjoy your new found free time and perhaps away from the kool aid of the far left, you may see that Harlow is not as divided as your party claim
Shaz
2026-05-11 18:17:21
Leeroy Makinson - prove it. I can come on here and say my skin colour is green to prove a point. There is obvious racism in Harlow....there is obvious racism across the country. To what extent? I couldn't say, but it is being stoked by the Reform party. A Reform councillor who was voted in to ECC has now had to resign due his social media posts saying things like white people are the master race. I truly wish people would stop making excuses or pretending this is not happening, The evidence is in right in our faces and the people who value love over hate, sense over nonsense and community over division need to start standing up to these people.
Baney
2026-05-11 18:29:55
Shaz the only racism is left wing antisemitism. It’s everywhere! Stop blaming racism for a false narrative made up by the left wing. The left wing are the real racists.
Laura
2026-05-11 19:01:56
If Reform are all racists, how come one of their leading spokesman. Zia Yussuf is British born Muslim of Sri Lankan parents and Leila Cunningham their mayoral candidate for London is a Muslim? Just doesn't fit your agenda. The left sows division.
Stephen
2026-05-11 19:05:53
Religion is not a race. It is a choice just like politics and should be subject to the most stringent analysis and criticism. Free speech is more important than any religion or creed. We lose our liberties at our peril.
Eli
2026-05-11 19:10:05
The hard left, as represented by ex Councillor Lanie Shears, are the enemy within seeking to destroy our history, our heritage, our culture and our freedoms.
Shaz
2026-05-11 19:48:15
Your defence is hollow. The 'Flag Man' happily posts that Harlow was created for white people and specifically to keep Caribbean people out. Yet he has 3 black people in his team. Why do you think those black people support his cause? Using race and religion in the way you have proves nothing. I look at words and actions and the Reform party includes too many people with blatantly racist views. As for the far-left are antisemitic....we've seen antisemitism in all corners of politics, it is not just for the far-left and BTW I'd call myself centre-right if you are intimating that I fall into that category.
Nigel
2026-05-11 22:50:56
Funny how quickly the 'no racism here' defense falls apart when a party has to expel its own winning candidate within days of the vote 🤣
Mr George
2026-05-12 00:37:30
Not everyone who votes Reform are racist, of course they are not, nor do they do it for racist reasons. But Reform appeals to racists that is without doubt because of some of the ideas, statements and behaviour of too many of their members. If Nigel's party wants to stop this reputation then he and all other reformers standing for elections and those who are lucky enought to be elected needs to stop any racist comments/behaviour they witness and remove offenders. If there is no racism, then the left leaning have no cause of complaint, eh? Quite simple.
David Forman
2026-05-12 08:53:04
Funny how the alleged black man incorrectly spells his first name Leeroy. The correct spelling is Leroy, but a Reform supporter fake news author wouldn't know that. See Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leroy_Carr
A-Nony-Mouse
2026-05-12 10:25:55
David Forman - you know Leeroy personally, do you? Personally, I think his spelling is more faithful to the pronunciation. My own name can be spelt in a least two ways as can many other names - Geoff/Jeff, Jade/Jayde, Alan/Allan/Alun. Get the picture? Finding fault with a post because of the way the contributor's name's spelt is pathetic.
David Forman
2026-05-12 11:27:03
Mark's gloating comment gives the Leeroy game away. Plus, I've been a trade union official dealing with many black members in both London and Harlow and have yet to meet a black person who hasn't experienced racism at least once. Also, I've been married to a dark skinned Asian woman for 31 years and both YourHarlow's Editor Michael Casey and I witnessed her being subject to racist comments in Broadwalk in mid 2016. Plenty of evidence that dark skinned people suffer discrimination in many areas of life, so Leeroy must be utterly unique or fake news.
Mr George
2026-05-12 13:56:06
David, I agree with you, saw the spelling and.. yes well. I think people who say there is no racism in the UK, Harlow or wherever is in cloud cuckoo land, putting it politely. Just today there's a news story of NHS staff experiencing a rise in racism against them, by the very patients they are trying to help. Racism and hate crime is on the rise, propelled by brexit. Seems the gift of Farage keeps 'giving'. Sigh. Sorry your Mrs has experienced this, it is ugly behaviour.
Leeroy
2026-05-13 12:17:31
My name is actually Lee-Roy but I spell it Leeroy as it’s easier. Grow up man
Seamus
2026-05-13 13:50:15
Of course there will be racism but for the left, it tends to be white middle class claiming it on behalf of the coloured population, despite no one from that community asking the white left to do so. It also seems to be aimed at white people because the left would have you believe any racism whatsoever must be white against blacks. My life has taught that often racism can be from browns to blacks, blacks to yellow, yellow to whites etc etc. So, apart from such organisations of the far left seeking to look out perceived racisms on behalf of people who never asked them to, in General when it comes to racism, I refer to The Battle of Bamber Bridge in 1943 and then Reginald D Hunter who said of Racism in the U.K., you give it a good go, but you're not very good at it.
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