Hotel’s would-be saviour makes video attacking far right ‘Voice of Wales’ group

Martin Shipton

The flamboyant socialist businessman who says he wants to save a hotel that was at the centre of a row over Home Office plans to turn it into a hostel for asylum seekers has made a video in which he attacks the far right Voice of Wales group.

Ahsan Ullah, a former deputy leader of George Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain, is CEO of the Ullcom Group, which owns the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli.

Following a campaign by local residents, the Home Office abandoned its plan to convert the hotel into accommodation for asylum seekers, and it reopened for business.

But at the beginning of March, it was closed again and its future remains uncertain.

Now, following a hearing at the High Court in London whose outcome remains unclear, Mr Ullah has published a video on social media in which he states: “The fight still continues. My message is to the people of Furnace [the district of Llanelli where the hotel is located] and to the local community and all those who genuinely care about the future of Stradey Park Hotel.

“Let it be absolutely clear. I’m doing everything within my power to save this hotel from administration. It matters to its staff, its customers, to the community that surrounds it and above all it matters to me.

“I also wish to make one point quite plainly so that there’s no room for any rumours or mischief or deliberate distortion. This hotel shall never be used to accommodate seekers.

“My present focus is on stabilising the business, assessing how best to arrange for the refunds for customers for the bookings and engaging properly with our staff and debtors about the future of the hotel. I understand that members of the local community have had genuine concerns and I respect that and in that spirit I had a productive conversation with Councillor Martin Palfreyman [a Labour county councillor] who I found to be to be courteous, constructive and sincerely concerned with the interests of the community. That is the kind of engagement one can work with even where our views differ.

“This is a private business. It is private property and there are lawful civilised and decent ways to raise concerns. Shoving smartphones into people’s faces provoking confrontation and then uploading selectively edited footage onto social media for clout and clicks is not activism. It certainly isn’t journalism. I would call it grubby opportunism masquerading as principle.

‘Nuisance’

He add: “As for the Voice of Wales, the title is rather generous and it suggests dignity, balance and some sense of responsibility. But from what I see and what I’ve understood, a more accurate description should be the nuisance of Wales. They do not speak for Wales. They merely heckle from the sidelines, inflame tensions and feed off division like it’s a business model. I have very little interest in trading insults with people that contribute nothing of value and even less interest in dignifying bigotry with prolonged attention, but let nobody mistake restraint for weakness. I see exactly what some of these people are doing and so does the public.

“My duty now is not to perform for social media. My duty is to protect this hotel, to support its staff, to address our customers’ needs and to secure a stable and honourable future for Stradey Park.

“While others may conduct themselves with noise, I shall concern myself with the serious business of preserving this hotel and moving it forward. May your God be with you.”

Voice of Wales, which propagates racist views, is run by convicted fraudster Dan Morgan and fellow far-right activist Stan Robinson, who once called for journalist Adam Boulton to be castrated with a rusty blade.