Reform councillor sent package he feared contained asbestos

Police are investigating after a Birmingham councillor received a package he believed contained asbestos, though specialist tests found no hazardous material in it.

Dr Charlie Latchford, the Reform councillor for Longbridge and West Heath and deputy leader of the Reform group on the city council, raised the alarm on Thursday evening.

"Stripped, isolated outside"

In a post on social media, he said the package had been "deliberately packaged in a way that would cause maximum exposure to whoever opened it".

"I wouldn't normally post about something this personal, but the current climate is becoming increasingly disturbing," he wrote. "I have been stripped, isolated outside and my road had to be quarantined. This package will be traced."

He thanked the fire service and the police for removing it and for arranging an ambulance, and said they had treated it seriously under Operation Ford.

"Let's be absolutely clear: no disagreement, no difference of opinion and no political or personal grievance justifies deliberately putting someone's health or life at risk," he said.

What the emergency services found

Police said officers were called to an address in Birmingham at about 7.30pm on 15 October after reports of a suspicious package.

"The package was tested by specialist fire service colleagues and showed no signs of hazardous materials," a spokesperson said. "Enquiries are ongoing, and anyone with information should call 101 quoting log 4436 of 15 October."

The fire service said its hazardous materials team was called to help police shortly after 8pm and tested the contents, and that "the results showed no signs of hazardous materials".

A difficult week for local politics

The incident came in a tense week for the council's Reform group. A Reform councillor elected in Shard End in May resigned from both Birmingham and Solihull councils after an ITV News investigation recorded him making racist remarks, and Reform said investigations had begun into other members filmed for the programme.

Nothing has been said to link that to the package sent to Dr Latchford, and police have not said what the package contained or who sent it.

Threats against elected representatives have become a growing concern at every level of politics. Councillors who are worried about their safety are advised to raise it with their council and with the police.

Dr Latchford was elected in May, when Reform became one of the largest opposition groups on the council. The city is run by a minority coalition of Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents led by Councillor Roger Harmer.

Anyone with information about the package should contact police on 101, quoting log 4436 of 15 October, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.