Brash’s “Save Hartlepool” Plea Looks Like a Labour Campaign Leaflet in Disguise..

Hartlepool’s Interests — or Labour’s? Reading Between Brash’s Lines

As the Mandelson Scandal Deepens, Brash Reaches for a Local Distraction

8th Feb 2026

Hartlepool’s Member of Parliament, Jonathan Brash, published his latest piece in a local newspaper urging the Hartlepool “must not lose out” amid proposed changes to local police structures — a call framed as standing up for Hartlepudlians in the face of sweeping regional policing reforms.

On its face, Brash defending local services is legitimate. In practice, however, this latest intervention bears all the hallmarks of political positioning, rather than sober public interest advocacy.

Brash’s message, carried in his local newspaper column, pitches the narrative that Hartlepool's at risk of being overlooked by national decision-makers — a familiar trope in electoral politics. Yet the timing and tone are stark: with the national spotlight intensely focused on the unfolding Peter Mandelson affair, and general trust in political institutions at a low ebb, this “community first” headline looks less like an urgent local defence and more like an overt attempt to shape political narratives ahead of the May local elections.

What Brash's column notably fails to do is separate substance from partisanship.

Rather than offering a detailed assessment of the actual impacts of a potential police merger on Hartlepool — policing performance data, local crime trends, or concrete assurances about service continuity — Brash’s piece leans on generalised appeals about fairness and local pride.

That matters, because at the same time as this op-ed landed, Brash’s party leadership is coping with some very serious national controversy. The allegations surrounding Peter Mandelson — including claims he shared sensitive material with a convicted criminal and continued to enjoy a relationship after conviction — have escalated into a police probe and have damaged public confidence in political judgement at the highest level.

Brash has attempted to distance himself from Mandelson — even branding his predecessor “a traitor” in Parliament — but putting that together with the stance of a carefully-timed local appeal actually shows a politician acutely aware of political currents and vulnerabilities he now feels after his association with Peter Mandelson simply become too much public knowledge for him to ignore.

Labour nationally is now said to be bracing itself for what analysts expect to be heavy losses in May's Local elections, with the possibility Labours Leader Sir Keir Starmer not even lasting until then, before his Leadership oft he party is toppled. The May elections are shaping up to be a major test of public confidence in the Labour party’s leadership and direction. Amplifying a local public service concern, however loosely connected to the day-to-day experience of voters, is a classic Brash tactic of electoral messaging disguised as civic advocacy, something he stole straight out of the peter Mandelson Handbook of political spin.

Readers therefore need to ask: is this really about Hartlepool’s police being “left behind,” or is it a strategic distraction — a piece of narrative management designed to shift the discussion away from credibility issues engulfing Brash’s own party... & Perhaps Brash Himself?

If local interests were genuinely the central driver, the argument would be backed up with robust evidence, clear proposals, and an honest assessment of competing policy options. Instead, what we've seen is broad, emotive language coupled with a message that dovetails neatly with the campaign needs of a political party under enormous pressure — especially in a seat that only recently returned to Labour after a turbulent period of electoral volatility.

Hartlepool deserves representatives whose arguments are grounded in policy detail and public benefit rather than thinly-veiled electioneering. At a moment when trust in politicians is already being eroded by scandal and mismanagement & possible corruption, readers should ask Mr Brash whether opinions published under the guise of local defence are actually serving the community — or simply serving Labours broader election campaign.