BNP ousted from European Parliament

Ousted: Nick Griffin (Picture: PA)

Standard Reporter26 May 2014

The British National Party have been ousted from the European Parliament, despite a surge of support for far-right parties.

Leader of the party Nick Griffin said Ukip supporters who were racist would turn back to his party on realising Nigel Farage would not “send them all home.”

He was abandoned by voters in the North West four years after the BNP won two seats in the European Parliament - which was swiftly followed by a period of turmoil within the party.

Andrew Brons, who was elected for the BNP in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2009 but quit the party two years later, also lost his seat.

Mr Griffin said he intended to continue to campaign in the region by setting up food banks exclusively for “our people.”

He said: “I've lost count of the number I've spoken to who say, 'We really like the BNP but we are voting Ukip because there is more chance they will stop immigration and send them all home.

“As there is not a hope in hell of that, people are going to be very disappointed when they find out what Ukip really stands for and that huge vote is going to come back to us.

"Most of the voters are what the liberal elite call 'racist' - they want immigration stopped for good, the whole lot of them. They think they are going to get that with Ukip. They are not."

Fights broke out as the controversial leader arrived at Manchester Town Hall for the count.

Protesters screaming, "Nazi scum" surrounded his car and dozens of police officers struggled to keep them separated from Mr Griffin and a handful of his supporters.

Asked what he would do next, Mr Griffin, who was declared bankrupt in January, said: "Well unfortunately for the British taxpayer, outgoing MEPs still get paid for another six months."

The BNP now had enough money again to pay him to campaign, he said.

Mr Griffin departed with a warning that the "people are waking up" as other anti-immigrant groups scored victories across the EU.