Lee Anderson's puerile comments are an insult to everyone who cares about Bradford: Greg Wright

In 1942, he delivered a famous speech from the steps of Bradford town hall, in which he praised the city’s war efforts and pledged that the whole country would go forward together to defeat a common enemy.

Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson’s crass and offensive comments about Bradford must have caused Churchill to spin in his grave. When asked about the impact cancelling HS2 could have on local rail services, such as those between Leeds and Bradford, during the Conservative party conference Mr Anderson said: "Is anybody from Bradford? Would you want to get there quicker?"

The remark, was presumably, intended as a joke. It certainly generated some guffaws. But the fact such a senior figure – a deputy chairman no less – in the Governing party should describe Bradford in such scornful terms must be a cause for alarm. I assume at least two Conservative MPs – Robbie Moore who represents Keighley and Philip Davies who has represented Shipley for 18 years – will be privately furious.

Susan Hinchcliffe, the Labour leader of Bradford Council, spoke for many when she said on Twitter: “No one's laughing here. Bradford is bigger than Newcastle, Bristol, Liverpool and Nottingham. We need a mainline city centre rail station to match our size and ambition. We have huge economic potential which Government need to take seriously.”

There are sound economic reasons to forge fast-moving public transport connections with Bradford. Apart from being the UK City of Culture in 2025, Bradford has the tenth largest city economy in England and 25.7 per cent of its population are aged under 18, making it the youngest city in the UK.

It’s home to more than 16,000 businesses with an estimated combined turnover of £30bn. Anyone who knows and loves Bradford was not surprised to learn that a Barclays Bank survey concluded it was the best place in Britain to start a business. In common with all major cities, it faces challenges, but a district that provided a cradle for Sir Ken Morrison, JB Priestley and the Bronte sisters is hardly short of drive and talent. We could, of-course, simply brush off Mr Anderson’s comments as a light-hearted slip of the tongue. But it’s not the first time eyebrows have been raised by the Tory party deputy chairman’s comments. Earlier this year, he said asylum seekers complaining about being moved on to an accommodation barge should “f*** off back to France”.

His latest puerile comments are an insult to everyone who is striving to help Bradford achieve its economic potential. Words have consequences. Sloppy, insensitive phrases simply reinforce damaging prejudices.

Mr Anderson’s comments reflect badly on him and the people who promoted him.

Greg Wright is the deputy business editor of The Yorkshire Post