British Democratic Party
Encyclopedia
The British Democratic Party (BDP) was a short-lived far-right
political party in the United Kingdom
. A breakaway group from the National Front
the BDP was severely damaged after it became involved in a gun-running sting and was absorbed by the British National Party
.
in which the National Front (NF) had put up the greatest number of candidates in its history but with results falling way below expectations. The recriminations that followed this costly defeat saw Andrew Brons
replace John Tyndall
as chairman whilst a number of groups broke away, notably the New National Front and the Constitutional Movement
.
Within the NF, the Leicester
branch had become one of the most active in the country and, since 1972, this group had been led by Anthony Reed Herbert
, a local solicitor whose talent for organisation had made Leicester a model branch. Reed Herbert took the opportunity provided by the 1979 collapse of the NF to launch his own group, selecting the name British Peoples Party. However, the name was quickly changed in order to avoid association with the earier British People's Party, a splinter group from the National Socialist League
, organised either side of the Second World War. The name was thus changed to British Democratic Party even though a British Democratic Party, a minor right wing anti-communist group, had also previously existed in the 1930s.
The BDP shared with the Constitutional Movement a desire to move away from open neo-Nazism
in general and Tyndall and Martin Webster
in particular, with Herbert reasoning that a stream of press exposures of the more extreme views of both men had hit the NF's chances hard. Effectively therefore the BDP sought to present a more "respectable" public image in contrast to that of the NF.
's Ray Hill
also became involved and after giving a copy of the party's membership list to Searchlight magazine, soon began secretly working for the anti-fascist publication full-time. Although never formally a member of the BDP Hill, on instructions from Searchlight, took a leading role in helping Herbert to organise the new party. Hill also took over production of the party's newspaper British News. Hill's association with both the BDP and BM was not unusual as BDP members Dave Gagin, Chris Newman, Jack Munton and Chris Harrison all held simultaneous membership of the BM.
The association of Hill with the BDP meant that many of its activities were exposed in the press. Thus a celebration for Adolf Hitler
's birthday held in 1980 in an illegal bar in the basement of the party's headquarters was reported in the Daily Mirror. Hill also fomented a plan to take over the British Movement, suggesting t Herbert that the two groups could unite once it was successful, although this idea too was driven by a Searchlight plan to bring about divisions within the BM. Hill further informed on BDP plans to obtain weapons and to set up an illegal television transmitter, although information about both schemes was initially vague.
documentary series in which an American claiming to be a neo-Nazi gunrunner (but who was actually working for the programme) was put in touch with the BDP. Before long, Hill became involved in order to facilitate the sting. 'Bob Matthews', as the American claimed to be called, told Herbert that he needed a gun in order to raid a US Army armoury, and Herbert agreed to supply a single weapon for £200, with BDP member John Grand Scrutton chosen to ferry the weapon, a luger pistol, to a secret location arranged in advance with 'Matthews' before phoning the American to let him know more details. The resulting phone call, in which Scrutton suggested that the BDP could get hold of six more guns and telling 'Matthews' to send payments to Herbert's address was recorded by World in Action and broadcast in the show.
Herbert learned of the ruse from a journalist just before the episode was screened as did Scrutton, whose finger prints were on the luger which was in police custody. Herbert sent Scrutton, under Hill's care, to the Republic of Ireland
but before long he returned to Britain and had to be brought back to Ireland by Hill. Herbert eventually told Scrutton to go to South Africa
and Scrutton, along with Hill, was put on a plane that stopped over at Paris-Orly Airport. However Hill had informed Searchlight about the plan and they in turn had tipped off the French
authorities who arrested Scrutton and Hill before sending them back to Ireland. Under Hill's prompting, Scrutton contacted the show's producer Geoffrey Seed and after three days of interviews they convinced him to return to Leicester and give himself up to police. Scrutton did eventually return and made a full statement, but despite this statement no charges were ever brought against Scrutton or any member of the BDP in regards to the weapons offences.
, although he too was close to the BM and was less sure about Tyndall. Nonetheless, the gun-running incident forced the BDP to cease almost all operations, and it came as little surprise when it was brought to a conclusion in 1982 by re-joining Tyndall and Hill as founder members of the British National Party
.
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
political party in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. A breakaway group from the National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
the BDP was severely damaged after it became involved in a gun-running sting and was absorbed by the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
.
Formation and naming controversy
The BDP emerged following the 1979 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
in which the National Front (NF) had put up the greatest number of candidates in its history but with results falling way below expectations. The recriminations that followed this costly defeat saw Andrew Brons
Andrew Brons
Andrew Henry William Brons is a British politician. Long active in far right politics in Britain, he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire and the Humber for the British National Party at the 2009 European Parliament election...
replace John Tyndall
John Tyndall (politician)
John Hutchyns Tyndall was a British politician who was prominently associated with several fascist/neo-Nazi sects. However, he is best known for leading the National Front in the 1970s and founding the contemporary British National Party in 1982.The most prominent figure in British nationalism...
as chairman whilst a number of groups broke away, notably the New National Front and the Constitutional Movement
Constitutional Movement
The Constitutional Movement was a right wing political group in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1979 by Andrew Fountaine as the National Front Constitutional Movement, a splinter group from the National Front...
.
Within the NF, the Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
branch had become one of the most active in the country and, since 1972, this group had been led by Anthony Reed Herbert
Anthony Reed Herbert
Anthony Reed-Herbert was a leading member of the British National Front during the 1970s, organising the party in Leicester and serving as its chief legal adviser ....
, a local solicitor whose talent for organisation had made Leicester a model branch. Reed Herbert took the opportunity provided by the 1979 collapse of the NF to launch his own group, selecting the name British Peoples Party. However, the name was quickly changed in order to avoid association with the earier British People's Party, a splinter group from the National Socialist League
National Socialist League
The National Socialist League was a short lived Nazi political movement in the United Kingdom immediately before the Second World War.-Formation:...
, organised either side of the Second World War. The name was thus changed to British Democratic Party even though a British Democratic Party, a minor right wing anti-communist group, had also previously existed in the 1930s.
The BDP shared with the Constitutional Movement a desire to move away from open neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
in general and Tyndall and Martin Webster
Martin Webster
Martin Guy Alan Webster is a former leading figure on the far-right in British politics.-Early political activism:An early member of the Young Conservatives, from which he claimed to have been expelled, Webster was associated loosely with the League of Empire Loyalists until he joined the National...
in particular, with Herbert reasoning that a stream of press exposures of the more extreme views of both men had hit the NF's chances hard. Effectively therefore the BDP sought to present a more "respectable" public image in contrast to that of the NF.
Development
The BDP quickly gained a following within Leicester, capturing 11% of the vote in the first local elections it contested, a highly respectable score for a new and virtually unknown party. However the British MovementBritish Movement
The British Movement , later called the British National Socialist Movement , is a British neo-Nazi organisation founded by Colin Jordan in 1968. It grew out of the National Socialist Movement , which was founded in 1962...
's Ray Hill
Ray Hill
Ray Hill was a leading figure in the British far right who went on to become a well-known informant.Born in Lancashire, he spent three years in the army before making his first steps in the far right with the Racial Preservation Society in Leicester in the late 1960s...
also became involved and after giving a copy of the party's membership list to Searchlight magazine, soon began secretly working for the anti-fascist publication full-time. Although never formally a member of the BDP Hill, on instructions from Searchlight, took a leading role in helping Herbert to organise the new party. Hill also took over production of the party's newspaper British News. Hill's association with both the BDP and BM was not unusual as BDP members Dave Gagin, Chris Newman, Jack Munton and Chris Harrison all held simultaneous membership of the BM.
The association of Hill with the BDP meant that many of its activities were exposed in the press. Thus a celebration for Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's birthday held in 1980 in an illegal bar in the basement of the party's headquarters was reported in the Daily Mirror. Hill also fomented a plan to take over the British Movement, suggesting t Herbert that the two groups could unite once it was successful, although this idea too was driven by a Searchlight plan to bring about divisions within the BM. Hill further informed on BDP plans to obtain weapons and to set up an illegal television transmitter, although information about both schemes was initially vague.
World in Action incident
The BDP became embroiled in a 1981 scheme developed by the World in ActionWorld in Action
World in Action was a British investigative current affairs programme made by Granada Television from 1963 until 1998. Its campaigning journalism frequently had a major impact on events of the day. Its production teams often took audacious risks and gained a solid reputation for its often...
documentary series in which an American claiming to be a neo-Nazi gunrunner (but who was actually working for the programme) was put in touch with the BDP. Before long, Hill became involved in order to facilitate the sting. 'Bob Matthews', as the American claimed to be called, told Herbert that he needed a gun in order to raid a US Army armoury, and Herbert agreed to supply a single weapon for £200, with BDP member John Grand Scrutton chosen to ferry the weapon, a luger pistol, to a secret location arranged in advance with 'Matthews' before phoning the American to let him know more details. The resulting phone call, in which Scrutton suggested that the BDP could get hold of six more guns and telling 'Matthews' to send payments to Herbert's address was recorded by World in Action and broadcast in the show.
Herbert learned of the ruse from a journalist just before the episode was screened as did Scrutton, whose finger prints were on the luger which was in police custody. Herbert sent Scrutton, under Hill's care, to the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
but before long he returned to Britain and had to be brought back to Ireland by Hill. Herbert eventually told Scrutton to go to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Scrutton, along with Hill, was put on a plane that stopped over at Paris-Orly Airport. However Hill had informed Searchlight about the plan and they in turn had tipped off the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
authorities who arrested Scrutton and Hill before sending them back to Ireland. Under Hill's prompting, Scrutton contacted the show's producer Geoffrey Seed and after three days of interviews they convinced him to return to Leicester and give himself up to police. Scrutton did eventually return and made a full statement, but despite this statement no charges were ever brought against Scrutton or any member of the BDP in regards to the weapons offences.
Disappearance
Despite the incident Hill, who had moved on to a new plan to work with and undermine John Tyndall, remained close to the BDP and sought to continue working to damage the party. At this time the party also enjoyed the support of influential publisher Anthony HancockAnthony Hancock (publisher)
Anthony Hancock has been a member of various far right groups in the United Kingdom and, as a publisher, has produced literature for almost all of Britain's right-wing extremists....
, although he too was close to the BM and was less sure about Tyndall. Nonetheless, the gun-running incident forced the BDP to cease almost all operations, and it came as little surprise when it was brought to a conclusion in 1982 by re-joining Tyndall and Hill as founder members of the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
.