Faith and Communities Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh has backed Gary Neville’s comments about the rise of “angry, middle-aged white men” spreading division, saying the former England footballer was right to call out those who seek to “stoke tension” across communities.
Neville, 50, sparked intense debate on Sunday after revealing he had taken down a Union Jack flag from one of his Manchester property sites, arguing it was being “used in a negative fashion”.
His remarks came in a video posted to LinkedIn following the terror attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester, where two Jewish worshippers were killed.
The ex-Manchester United and England defender said he feared growing hostility was turning people against each other, claiming the division was “mainly created by angry, middle-aged white men who know exactly what they’re doing.”
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Asked about Neville’s comments on Good Morning Britain, Ms Fahnbulleh said his concerns were well-founded.
“I think he’s really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment,” she said.
She continued: “We’ve seen this playbook before. Life is really tough for people across our communities.
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Faith and Communities Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh has backed Gary Neville’s comments about the rise of “angry, middle-aged white men” spreading division, saying the former England footballer was right to call out those who seek to “stoke tension” across communities
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“I spend a lot of time going around the country talking to people. They’re ground down.
“We’ve had a decade and a half where living standards haven’t budged, and people have seen their communities held back.
“When that happens, you will get people trying to stoke division, trying to blame others, trying to inflame tension.”
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Two people died following the attack at the Manchester synagogue on Thursday | PAPressed on whether Neville’s remarks unfairly singled out one group, the minister stressed that division was not confined to any community.
“We are seeing division, and it’s not concentrated in any particular group,” she said.
“The vast majority of people are decent, tolerant, welcoming people who do not want this in their name. But there are individuals deliberately spreading hatred and division — and as a Government, we have to target and root that out.”
In his video, Neville reflected on the aftermath of the Manchester attack and described his unease at the sight of flags appearing around the city.
“On one of my development sites last week, there was a Union Jack flag put up, and I took it down instantly,” he said.
“Some people might think that means I’m not patriotic, but I played for my country 85 times. I love my country. I love Manchester and I love England. But I’ve been building in this city for 15 or 20 years, and no one’s put up a flag in all that time — so why now?”
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Gary Neville played 85 times for England during his playing days
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He went on: “Quite clearly it’s sending a message to everybody that there’s something you don’t like.
“The Union Jack being used in a negative fashion is not right. I’m proud to represent this country anywhere in the world — it’s one of the greatest places to live — but we need to bring ourselves back to a neutral point.
“We’re being pulled left and right, and we don’t need to be.”
Neville also suggested that political and cultural divides deepened in the wake of Brexit, which he described as having had a “devastating impact” on the UK.
“The messaging is getting extremely dangerous,” he continued.
“All these idiots spreading hate speech and abuse in any form — we must stop promoting them. We need to get back to being a country of love, peace and harmony, and become a team again.”