LABOUR-run Sandwell Council has withdrawn funding for a St George's Day parade over concerns it might attract far right elements.
Conservative MEP for the West Midlands, Philip Bradbourn, has branded the decision "a disgrace".
Mr Bradbourn, who is Local Government Spokesman for the Conservatives in the European Parliament, said: “The Labour Council’s decision to withdraw funding for its St George’s Day parade is a disgrace and far from silencing far right parties such as the BNP, plays right into their hands.
Sandwell Council, in their usual politically correct paranoia, have taken exactly the wrong approach and I insist that they reinstate the funding for this event.
"Local government ought to be encouraging national and civic pride, not hampering it.
"Perhaps Sandwell Council ought to take some advice from another local authority. Calderdale Council’s St George’s Day parade is a good example of how to celebrate this important day.
"In my personal opinion, St George’s Day should be made a national holiday."
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