BNP lose Millwall seat
01 May 1994
An unusually high turnout of voters - over 65% - in Tower Hamlets, east London, saw the defeat of both the fascist British National Party (BNP) and the ruling Liberal Democrats in the May local elections. The council was regained by the Labour Party which lost control of it ten years ago.
The BNP stood eight candidates in Tower Hamlets, hoping to capitalise on the chaos that accompanied the election of Derek Beackon, in the Millwall ward, last September. Three of their candidates, including Beackon, stood in Millwall where they increased their number of votes but only took 28% of the overall total. Three other BNP candidates gained 23% of the vote in the Holy Trinity ward.
The defeat of the BNP, and the Liberal Democrats - who had been criticised by their national party for their openly racist tactics - owed a great deal to an alliance of community groups and political activists who worked to ensure a large turnout of voters. A team of election observers from Liberty also helped to ensure that the intimidation of Asian voters by BNP thugs, that characterised the September poll, was not repeated. In neighbouring Newham, where no far-right candidate had stood since 1974, the BNP fielded five candidates. In the same wards five official Conservative Party candidates stood as Conservatives Against Labour's Unfair Ethnic Policies (CALUEP). Despite vigorous campaigning by the Newham Monitoring Project, the BNP averaged 33% in the Beckton ward and 24% in Custom House and Silvertown; the combined racist vote, of the BNP and CALUEP, was greater than that of the Labour Party who narrowly retained their hold on Newham council.
The importance of the east London elections to the BNP was indicated by their attempt to present their candidates and party in a respectable light. This began with the prescription, in the run-up to the elections, of Combat 18. This move backfired and resulted in an ongoing and bloody feud between the two groups that left several key BNP activists and one of their election candidates hospitalised. Elsewhere in London the BNP stood candidates in Hillingdon and Hounslow in west London, and in south London. None of these candidates received a significant vote although Jenny Oliver, their candidate for Sutton, has been accused of breaking election law by falsifying her nominees. William Hitches, their candidate in Greenwich, south London is reported to be facing assault charges after punching a rival candidate.
Outside of London the BNP focused its attentions on the north, although none of its candidates made a significant impact. David Bruce, the BNP's deputy leader, got 10% of the vote in Rosedale, Hertfordshire.
Of the other far-right parties the National Front (NF), boosted by a £100,000 windfall left to the party on the death of a member, concentrated its campaign in the midlands. The NF has lost most of its support elsewhere in the country to the BNP. Several of its candidates got around 10% of the vote. The minuscule Third Way, led by Patrick Harrington, stood three candidates, only one of whom got above 2% of the vote. Several fascists stood as independent candidates, the nazi, Tony Malski, getting 19% of the vote in Redbourne, Herfordshire.