This Labour city backed Brexit and went Tory: what did it get in return? | Anywhere but Westminster 

It boggles my mind that anyone at any time in history has taken Boris Johnson as a man of his word

Gullis. A symbol of national decline in human form

Gotta love the difference between the Labour candidate talking about issues such as cuts to youth services and stuff, and then the Conservative candidate just slags off people and says how he wants to see reactions on twitter.

Boris wrote two speeches, one to announce he was pro remain, one to announce he was pro Brexit. The man has no shame. He ended up going Brexit because it was the popularist lean. Tells you everything you need to know.

"And I will love every minute of watching twitter melt down about it" - It's all a culture war with the Tories. It's not about policy and promises, it's about proving that they have power even if they do nothing with it

The trouble with democracy is most people are seriously thick.

It’s delusional to think the Tory Party cares about working people.

I'm pulling an all nighter on election day just so I can watch Jonathan Gullis lose his seat. Cannot wait.

This town literally got what they voted for … nowt !!

If posters with " Funded or co-funded by the EU " were as prominent as the " levelling up" one I doubt Brexit would have happened ! SHAME !!

How Gullis can look anyone in the eye and say he and his party have achieved something is mind boggling.

Wow. The difference in language between the Labour candidate and Gullis (who just happens to be going round the big houses).

The Scottish guy preparing food. for his blind neighbour brought a lump to my throat 👏

Calling the most desperate people in society, “scrotes and scumbags”… this is Tory compassion and empathy.

Tories have been peddling the same lies for 200 years, it's about time people used their brains.

Boris promised stuff and then did not deliver. Nobody saw that coming...

I remember this guy asked if things were better with Brexit and he said sure! “We have much more food banks now.”

Finally "Anywhere but Westminster" is back!

Reform would make this nightmare 10X worse.

All I hear is about winning in this election. It's not about winning and losing, it's about getting an ambulance to somebody that's having a heart attack, giving a bed to somebody that need hospital treatment. A dentist appointment without it costing £300. None of that is about winning, but basic necessities.

You can't blame Boris for lying to you. If you paid attention it was obvious Brexit was going to be a disaster for Britain and has been and it isn't over yet. Some folk are still in denial, mainly tory MPs.

If your sheep and you voted for wolves then prepare to be their dinner

She'll vote for Boris, who did what he did, but she doesn't seem to want to vote for a party who does want to help her. Fallen for the usual "They're all the same". Then she'll just complain down the road that her life is even worse, if Labour don't get in. Some people just don't use critical thinking to find out the facts, instead of newspaper headlines. I hope she votes and votes tactically to get the Tories out.

I noticed that Jonathan Gullis appeared to be canvassing around what would be one of the more affluent areas and saying oh I’ve managed to get two votes . The Labour candidate explained that they’ve lost something like £60 million for youth services whilst Gullis is boasting about getting them 200,000 then saying it’s all the labour councils fault

It’s mind boggling to me, that ordinary folk vote for the wealthy party.

They’d probably vote for Bojo again if he was on the ballot. How people could swallow his obvious lies I do not know but why people in areas like these would ever vote Tory is just perplexing.

£580 BILLION A YEAR is avoided in tax by U.K. corporations, companies and wealthy individuals. That’s why austerity is a thing because the money is shipped off to tax havens every week

Working class people who believe the Bridge that is being sold to them is real are the most frustrating people in this country.

Step 1. Vote for Brexit. Step 2. Vote for Boris Johnson. Step 3. Everything goes from bad to shit. Step 4. Refuse to vote for anyone who might unscrew your steps 1&2. Step 5. Profit? These people literally deserve where they are.

It grossly upsets me that anyone would vote Tory at any time, ever. Anyone who falls for their lies needs to give their head a shake.

‘Boris lied to us’……shocker

You should 100% turn up and vote. If you think all the options are awful, spoil your ballot. Don't just tick the box of the candidate shouting the loudest.

I moved to Stoke in 2010 for university, & the decline has been astonishing. Its a dead city walking. If things don't improve after this election we're pretty set on moving to a new city in the next 5 years or so. I'm grateful for the time I've spent here, the friends I've made & the family I've built, but the city has nothing left to offer, especially in regards to prospects for my daughter.

The phrase 'shy tory' springs to mind whenever I hear someone say they don't know what they are going to do in the election.

Jonathan Gullis just epitomises the downgrade in the standard of MPs in 2019 - absolutely unfit for public life. How on Earth was that man ever a teacher?

The irony of 2010 promoting the Big Society, promising help for community and voluntary sector organisations... the reality since then, enormous cuts to local authority funding which kept the groups alive. Now the VCSFE has to spend most of its time applying for charitable funding and the many hoops to jump through

Gullis is completely divorced from reality.

Did the Tory “scrote” say inflation came in the way? What for the last 14 years 😂.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

People vote Brexit and Johnson, then when asked about who they'll vote for, they say don't know. What isn't asked is 'what does Keir Starmer have to say or do to get your vote?' It doesn't mean people have to vote Labour, but you'd ask real people when, in the face of such failure and lies by Tories, why Labour isn't the obvious choice. Give people the chancr to think why they are put off Labour. This surface level discussion doesn't change anything. It's like a low level uni essay, that describes everything, but never tries to analyse.

And looking at the poll's some weren't content being fooled by brexit they want a second helping from nigel quite incredible.

"Anywhere but Westminster" - one of the best journalistic series of the last decade

The money goes in at the top, and by the time it gets to the bottom there's nothing left. < That's it in a nutshell.

Been waiting for this! As someone from Stoke-on-Trent, it's great to see Stoke still getting some attention this many episodes in! Love this series, keep up the great work!

I'm from Stoke originally - at no point in history has Tunstall ever been happy!

The problem is we vote for charisma. I would rather have the charisma of a dead fish representing me as my lawyer if they know what they're doing. As opposed to a funny charismatic lawyer that hasn't got a clue. Yet, we want them to fix the problems but we vote in people we think are characters.

John's an outstanding old-school journalist who actually speaks to people of all walks. The answer in places like Stoke are as complex as the causes. Here's hoping that we see improvements (even small) across the board in five years.

Surely it's quite simple. Stoke lost its main industry that initially created the place and made it grow. Without that wealth creation and supply of good jobs, decline is inevitable. This has happened across the country. Most of these jobs are now in China.

My old home town. Absolutely heartbreaking to see how this once proud centre of the best pottery manufacturers in the world has been so let down. It's not enough to say that Stokies are the friendliest of people anymore, it's time for support and respect.

To quote an old music hall song, a favourite of my dad's, "It's the rich that gets the pleasure, and the poor that get the pain!"

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANYWHERE BUT WESTMINSTER IS BACK BABBBBBBBEEEEEEEE!

Sums it up really, this is why the UK declines. People vote leave, vote Tory, things decline but when it comes to voting for something else they say no. So there's never a reversal

All the money the tories promised Stoke was spent on signs saying how much they will help Stoke..

Turkeys that voted for Christmas.

This series is great. The UK is in such a sorry state, I hope they can turn things around.

It just boggles my mind that places like this, all across the country are confused about who to vote for. The good times that those people spoke about were under a Labour Government 1997-2009. There is no arguing about that because communities like this crumbled under Thatcher and Major before that. It’s not Brexit for these people, it’s mainly the deliberate austerity policy of austerity and Brexit was the big promise that failed to deliver.

Gullis is so arrogant and self-assured. And surprise surprise, he blames the council. The destruction of communities around the UK is on a national level. I hope he loses.

Working class Tory voters.. Turkeys voting for Xmas

I very often donot understand their english , and I dare say I am proficient in english as a native Dutch speaker. What is remarkable is the fact that you donot even see a faint spark of modernity in infrastructure or building substance. It looks frozen in time and covered with a dust that emphasizes its anaemic colourless soullessness. It is on a steep gradient of irreparable decline and it will vegetate in a state of managed hopelessness for the future. As long as resources trickle in that means , because it looks all poised to get deeper into the rut of structural societal and economic decay. A dystopian place even quite close to my country Netherlands . I live in one of the so called economic weakest regions here but in comparison it is paradise.

It’s worth pointing out that the presenter spent a long time hammering Jeremy Corbyn who would have made a significant difference. Shame on The Guardian.

Very glad to see the return of John Harris to the streets and Anywhere but Westminster back on the channel

What did they get? Richi stood in The Conservative Club garden in Tunbridge Wells, saying "We've moved funding from deprived northern areas, to this town." Tunbridge Wells is gammon central, very wealthy green belt commuter town, that's what The Tories did for this town. Sweet FA.

"This Labour city backed Brexit and went Tory: what did it get in return?" It got worse. Brexit needs to be undone and certain people prosecuted.

Gullis is a right Jeremy Hunt.

People being fooled doesn´t bother me, it can happen. It´s whether you learn from it and don´t repeat the same mistake in the future.

What I have noticed more over each election since I became old enough to vote in 1997, is it is more geared towards voting for the Party/Party Leader rather than who you think is the best local candidate to represent your constituency in parliament. You see more and more MP's nowadays putting the party first before what's best for the constituency they represent and what's best for the Country. THIS is what needs to change to fix things in this Country. The more it carries on the way it is, the more broken and divided we become.

I'm nearly 70 years old. Tories have been telling the same lues but delivering decay all that time. 14 years ago satisfaction with the NHS was at a record high!

It blows my mind how many people say they aren't sure if they are going to vote. You have to stop thinking of it as a two party system, it's not just between Labour and the Tories. I don't have much faith in either, but I plan to vote for a local independent candidate who actually understands my area and is in touch with the community. As I see it, if you don't bother voting, you've no right to complain about the outcome. Even if you spoil your paper in protest, that becomes a message if spoiled ballots are a significant percentage of the outcome. I don't care if you vote for someone I love or hate, but I implore everyone to vote.

Next time someone says, " Never mind the experts," what are you going to do?

How easy it is to get people to vote against their own self interest.

Unless you are from Stoke on Trent you know NOTHING. We swayed to the Tories because Labour did nothing for this city. We wanted a change. Us in Stoke are risk takers. We got hit hard with great losses to the Pottery industry if which the EU played a part. Get your facts right and get educated about Stoke on Trent and watch the whole video.

My duaghter went to the university there and I was amased how rundown the area was. I thought South-Shore Blackpool was bad, but Stoke just knocked it into a cocked hat. Levelling up was always a con in the same way Brexit was. Boris came to my neck of the woods promising to renew the rail link here and all that happened was the track bed was sold off for development after development.

Its terrifying to think that Gullis was once a teacher….. Stoke wasnt great when I used to go over there in the 90s but what I see these days is prety grim all round me duck.

Gullis is very dim.

A very grim place. I never thought I'd see a town worse than Grimsby.

Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?… Dickens is now a how to guide

They didn't lie, they told people things would change, and it did change, it changed for the worse. It's strange that those who voted leave do not take any responsibility

Always someone else's fault with the Tories eh Gullis,14 yrs but, not their fault!

Watching this, I see three things. Decent people. Poverty. Poor health. Makes me wonder where all the public money in this country goes, and where is the wealth?

That is getting Brexit done! If only someone had warned them!

The people who helped elect Johnson (including The Guardian) should apologise to the country. Every morning. For the rest of time.

A Labour Council with a Tory Westminster is pointless. Even if Labour has the best intentions - all the money to do things comes from Westminster. Before Brexit at least the EU could help out here and there bypassing Westminster buerocracy but not even that is possible anymore.

12:37 not being funny but if no retail, no office, no warehouse jobs then what jobs WILL YOU actually do?

Brexit Tory town without 2 pennies to rub together.. how gullible can a hole town be. 😮

What I’m hearing is we need community, this is something we have lost and we need it back

Former Security Officer here, worked nightclubs, pubs and general daytime security in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme and I can say without a doubt that Stoke is probably the worst place in England. Its filled to the brim with druggies and homeless. Theres a very clear divide between working class and middle class, probably the biggest in the country. I've worked in council buildings in that time and I can say the council both Labour and Tory just have a huge disdain for every Stokie, its only about 1 in 10 staff actually care about the area, they all live on the outskirts where its much nicer.

Anywhere But Westminster is a most insightful, considered, and bought provoking mini-series. It’s wonderful to see it back!!

Brexit disaster

As an American, I don't understand how such an important economic policy could be placed on a ballot for people to vote yes or no to. Seems like there were details left out on that ballot. Truckers and fishermen didn't think they were putting themselves out of work but they were.

Brilliant John. One day you will go to one of these towns and it will better. You can only hope….

£3 per constituent is not levelling up. It’s window dressing.

when we needed it most anywhere but westminster returns

I live in Longton, which is one of the towns in Stoke-on-Trent. Its full of lovely people, but it really is just in tatters, completely forgotten about. Westminster see Birmingham and see Manchester on the map, but ignore Stoke sat in between them. There are so many potholes. Blurton Road alone must have 100 potholes on it end to end, and it's only about a mile long. My girlfriend is from here, I only moved here. We make the joke that she's better at avoiding potholes than me because she's had to dodge them since her driving test. The only major business in the area is JCB up the A50. There are buses that take hundreds from the centre every morning to it's HQ. If the local economy didn't have JCB I'm sure it'd be even worse than it is now. We learned the other day that the luxury brand Belstaff, that has t-shirts and hoodies that cost £100 each and offices in places like Milan, was started in Stoke. The "staff" in Belstaff is for Staffordshire. The only reason we knew about it is because a mural got thrown up of the founder in Longton out of local pride. But that's all that's left, the pride. It's HQ is in London now. The only link it has to the region now is in that mural, and I really feel like it represents the problem perfectly. Anything that's good in Stoke has either moved or stays and withers away, simply because nothing is given to the area. All that's left is an idolisation of the things that made it out of the city.

Watching this and ofc living it in Britain- it's very hard to dispute that we are a 3rd world country.

Perfect example of the end point of neoliberalism and austerity

There are still some good people left

Good that stokies tried something different in the first place. Now its clear to them that neither party will change anything.

The state of Stoke has got nothing to do with Tories or Brexit, it was just as bad 20 years ago. Look at population levels for your answer.

Just a guess, but was it better around about 14 years ago???

his example of leveling up is a frigging food bank. Depressing as hell.