Wakefield Labour councillor accuses Tory opponents of being the 'Harold Shipman fan club' during cost of living crisis debate

Coun Usman Ali made the claim as councillors in Wakefield were asked to consider declaring a 'cost of living emergency' across the district.

Earlier this month, the Conservative candidate for the Wakefield by-election apologised after referring to serial killer Harold Shipman in an analogy about trusting the Tory party.

Nadeem Ahmed was running to replace ex-MP Imran Ahmad Khan, who was jailed for sexually assaulting a boy.

Mr Ahmed told a newspaper that Khan was "one bad apple" and "we still trust GPs after Harold Shipman killed hundreds of people".

He later admitted that his comments would have been offensive to Shipman's victims.

Shipman was jailed for life in 2000 for killing 15 patients, but is thought to have murdered more than 200.

Coun Usman made the comments at a full council meeting on Wednesday.

The newly-elected councillor for Crofton, Ryhill and Walton, said: "Before the Covid crisis there were six food banks active in the Wakefield district. Now there are 33 food banks."

Coun Usman continued: "It is a depressing and deeply damaging verdict of 12 years of Tory rule that so many have been pushed down into dire need and want for the very basics of life.

"This crisis is not just down to the war in the Ukraine.

"It is down to decades of economic and social policy.

"We have Tory benches opposite as cheerleaders for austerity.

"The Harold Shipman fan club celebrates austerity as families and children go without food.

"The uncaring and selfish politics and greed an inequality that the Tories specialise in is doing untold damage to thousands of families in Wakefield, especially the life chances of thousands of children.

In response, Conservative Group Leader Tony Homewood said the cost of living crisis was the result of the war in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic, both of which were beyond control of the Government.

He said: "The Government's offering was to pay £37 billion in support in a year when people were sitting at home with 80 per cent of their wages for not going to work.

"There was always going to be a price to be paid.

He added: "I know what you lot (Labour) all think.

"You think 'well we will just print money'.

"We have done enough of that, printing money, which is how we have managed to pay for all those to sit at home on 80 per cent."

Coun Homewood said the Government had delivered tax cuts for 13 million people, introduced a levy on fuel company profits and increased the minimum wage.

He continued: "Somebody has got to pay for it.

"It's not magic.

"I accept that Governments don't like to always tell you what the consequences are going to be, but there was always going to be a consequence.

"The Government didn't cause Covid and I accept that we did what we had to do.

"But the idea that it is all the Government's fault is just naivety and I cannot accept that.

"If you think the Government sits there going 'let's jack up the prices for all those poor people', then of course they don't."

Coun Homewood refused to support the motion, saying: "You have made it impossible to support it.

"We can't actively support it because it really is simply just an attack, as we have heard from Councillor Usman.

"It's just an attack."

Councillors voted in favour of a motion to declare the cost of living emergency in Wakefield district.