Liverpool gets dragged into this chat a lot. You’ll hear people say it’s “entrenched,” which feels like a polite way of saying “stubbornly old-school about being unwelcoming.” But then you meet a Scouser who’ll give you the shirt off their back—if you’re not wearing a Manchester United top. It’s complicated.
Then there’s Stoke-on-Trent. It’s famously white, famously insular, and famously voted heavily for Brexit. Is it “most racist”? Or is it just a place that hasn’t had a proper conversation with anyone different yet? You decide.
Don’t forget Cornwall. Yes, Cornwall. The land of pasties and stunning beaches. It’s also home to some of the lowest ethnic diversity in the UK. Some locals will laugh about the “welcome to Cornwall” signs that feel a bit… exclusionary. Is that racism? Or just awkward isolation? Again, you tell me.
The Data Doesn’t Lie (But It Winks)
If you look at hate crime stats, Blackpool often tops the charts per capita. For a seaside town full of sticks of rock and arcades, that’s a grim headline. But stats can be tricky—some places report more incidents because the police are actually trying to record them. Go figure.
Then there’s Boston, Lincolnshire. This town went from sleepy to “suddenly full of Eastern European workers” and the backlash was loud. It became the UK’s migrant-capital for a bit. Did it handle it well? Let’s just say the local newspaper comments section was not a safe space for nuance. Yikes.
In pictures: Anti-racism protesters turn out across England - BBC News
