Following Guido’s coverage of Birmingham council’s David Brent-inspired woke street naming, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen was more than keen to point out he is determined to stand against this trend: instead campaigning in the complete opposite direction. This week he launched a personal campaign to see Teesside street “Council of Europe Boulevard” renamed after local D-Day and industry hero Stanley Hollis. Ironically for Brexiteer Ben Houchen, his mayoral office is situated on the absurdly-named street…

The street was renamed as such in 1990, changing from “Trafalgar Street”, despite – as Houchen writes in a letter to Stockton Council – not believing “that there is, or ever was, any sympathy for this name change from local people”:

“There is hardly a more prominent but inappropriately named road in Teesside than ‘Council of Europe Boulevard'”.

Birmingham: watch and learn…