'No place for any hate-filled performance' - Sheffield MP backs decision to cancel Roy 'Chubby' Brown show

The controversial comic was due to appear at Sheffield City Hall in January 2022 but the show was axed after concerns were raised about the nature of his material.

The 76-year-old, whose real name is Royston Vasey, has since spoken out, blaming ‘snowflakes and political correctness’ for his act being pulled from the calendar at a venue where he had performed for more than 30 years.

More than 17,500 people have signed a petition for the show to be reinstated.

But Gill Furniss, MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, believes Sheffield City Trust, which runs the venue, made the right call.

She has written to the trust’s chief executive, Andrew Snelling, and Sheffield Council leader Terry Fox to welcome the decision to cancel the gig.

“This is the right thing to do. There is no place for any hate-filled performance in our diverse and welcoming city,” she said.

In her letter, she describes how she had been contacted by several constituents who were concerned that Mr Vasey’s act is offensive and ‘has no place in a publicly funded venue’.

“Sheffield has a proud history as an open and welcoming city. We are the city of sanctuary and this brand of divisive ‘humour’, and others like it, do not align with our city’s morals and values,” she writes.

“I agree with the views expressed by my constituents and am therefore pleased that a decision to cancel the performance has been made so swiftly.”