At Burnley Borough Council’s full meeting on 15 July 2026, councillors debated a motion on the situation in Kashmir, brought by Independent councillor Sehrish Lone. The Reform group voted against. Cllr Chris Weekes’s speech is above, and the key points are below.
Cllr Weekes argued the council should not be getting involved in international affairs. “Where do we stop with so much going on? Or do we just continue to cherry-pick?” he asked. It was not, he said, what councillors were elected to do: “That is the role of government, diplomats and Parliament.”
“We were elected to ensure that we represent the residents of Burnley, not a conflict that we have no jurisdiction over,” he said. Residents want the council to concentrate on the things that shape their daily lives, from local projects and services to safer neighbourhoods, and on proper scrutiny of where their taxes are spent. “We are Burnley Borough Council, not Parliament.”
He also offered a practical alternative, suggesting that members who felt strongly could write to the relevant authorities collectively themselves, rather than take up council officer and executive time. For those reasons, he confirmed, he would be voting against the motion.
The motion was carried with the support of a majority of councillors. Reform UK, Restore Britain and the Conservatives voted against. You can read the full debate in our main report, and watch Cllr Gavin Theaker and Cllr Liam Thomson make the same case.