British National Party (1960s)
Encyclopedia
The British National Party (BNP) was a far right
political party that operated in the United Kingdom
from 1960 to 1967. Led by John Bean
the group, which was subject to internal divisions during its brief history, established some areas of local support before helping to form the National Front in 1967.
and the White Defence League
, two political splinter groups from the League of Empire Loyalists
pressure group. Both groups had been active in Notting Hill
and had been co-operating closely there since the previous year when a merger was agreed. The new group, which was based at Arnold Leese
House in Notting Hill (the former home of the Imperial Fascist League
leader used by WDL leader Colin Jordan
as his base of operations), adopted the motto "For Race and Nation" and pledged to oppose the "international Jewish-controlled money-lending system" in its founding policy statement. Indeed so strong was BNP anti-Semitism
that the party advocated the immediate deportation of all Britain's Jews to either Israel
or Madagascar
, recalling the Madagascar Plan
that had formerly been prevalent. It also demanded an end to immigration
, repatriation of immigrants and the impeachment
of the Conservative
government for what the BNP felt to be their complicity in allowing uncontrolled immigration.
The party was led by John Bean
, with Andrew Fountaine
holding the position of Party President, and other leading members including John Tyndall
, Colin Jordan
(who served as Activities Organiser), Denis Pirie
and Ted Budden
. Leese's widow, who had given Jordan access to her home during his time as WDL leader, served as vice-president of the party.
and holding a rally to oppose the Lord Mayor's Show
as the presiding Lord Mayor of London
, Bernard Waley-Cohen
, was Jewish. However the BNP managed to secure an 8.1% share of the vote in Deptford
in the 1960 London County Council
(LCC) elections, a large result for a new party without name recognition. A National Youth Movement was also organised and this was sponsored by General Sir Richard Hilton, who was leader of his own Patriotic Party
. Although rumours circulated at the time that German
neo-Nazi groups were funding the BNP there is no evidence to back this up and it seems likely that the party was supported by a mixture of collections held in Trafalgar Square
and funds from Fountaine who was personally well-off.
Elements within the party also expressed support for Nazism
and a paramilitary arm, Spearhead, was set up by Tyndall. Spearhead had initially been set up as group aimed at establishing the BNP outside London
although its very youthful membership soon lent it a more violent character. Colin Jordan, who would later become a fierce critic of Tyndall would later suggest that Spearhead was set up as much to get Tyndall out of the way as anything else. The party also hosted a summer camp on Fountaine's land and this grew into an international event, beginning in 1961 when delegates attended from the National States' Rights Party
and the Nordic Reich Party
amongst others. In early 1962 Oswald Mosley
had approached both Jordan and Bean and had offered them positions as national organisers within his group, which would subsume the BNP. However the plan was rejected as neither man had faith in Mosley whilst the two were increasingly on a collision course within the BNP itself.
Following changes in the local demographics a group of whites set up a Southall
Residents Association which, whilst not specifically anti-immigration, wanted the immigrants already in the area to integrate whilst stopping further migrants from settling locally. Whilst this was the official policy some members, notably chairman Arthur Cooney and treasurer Doris Hart, wanted stronger opposition and in the 1963 local elections they nominated two BNP candidates to stand in the Glebe and Hambrough wards. Although neither was elected their votes were respectable, 13.5% in Glebe and 27.5% in Hambrough where the Labour Party
lost a normally safe seat to the Conservative Party
after a swing from Labour to BNP. Bean saw the potential in this sort of local issue as a springboard to finally building the sort of mass party that he desired and as such he stood as a candidate in Southall
in the 1964 general election
. Adopting a platform based on ending all "coloured" immigration and offering National Assistance only to immigrants who agreed to accept repatriation Bean secured 9% of the vote, which was at that point the highest ever won by a candidate running on an avowedly racialist ticket. With a "Stop Immigration Now" campaign the party finally enjoyed some comparative success.
However within the political mainstream the major parties began to turn away from the immigration issue and this mood was reflected by the electorate in the 1966 general election
with vocal anti-immigration politicians either suffering reduced majorities, as happened to Enoch Powell
, or the loss of seats, like Peter Griffiths
. This shift in attitudes impacted upon the BNP with Bean's personal vote in Southall falling to 7.4%, a candidate in Deptford
winning 7% and a candidate in Smethwick
, where much local work had been undertaken by the party, managing only 1.5%.
Under Bean the BNP grew to become the largest political party on the far right and the only one with a comparatively good track record in electoral politics yet its ambitions were consistently hamstrung by a terminal lack of money and increasingly it looked like the future for the BNP lay in working much more closely with other groups.
and the Racial Preservation Society
. However Ron Cuddon, a member of the BNP Council and staunch opponent of Tyndall, vetoed the request whilst it was also rejected by the RPS. In September that same year however the BNP agreed with leading RPS member Dr David Brown that they would seek to unify as the National Democratic Party
. Within a week however this plan had been abandoned both due to Bean still wanting to find an accommodation with the GBM and his reluctance to serve under Brown, who insisted on full leadership of the new party for himself.
Sensing that his own presence was putting Chesterton off, due to his own neo-Nazi background, Bean resigned from the BNP Council in September 1966 with his place being taken by Philip Maxwell, who was close to Chesterton. As a result merger negotiations that began with the LEL soon afterwards were not attended by Bean but rather saw Maxwell and Fountaine present the BNP's case. Maxwell addressed the LEL conference in October 1966 by which time merger discussions were so far advanced that the names National Independence Party and British Front were already being considered for the new group. At the conference a working party was established to finalise details of the new group, consisting of Philip Maxwell, Bernard Simmons and Gerald Kemp from the BNP and Austen Brooks, Rosine de Bounevialle, Avril Walters and Nettie Bonner representing the LEL. On 7 February 1967 the BNP officially went out of existence as the new movement, by now officially known as the National Front
, was declared in existence.
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 that operated 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...
from 1960 to 1967. Led by John Bean
John Bean
John Edward Bean is a long-standing participant in the British far right, who has been active within a number of movements during the course of his life and is the voice behind the BNP election broadcasts.-Early life:...
the group, which was subject to internal divisions during its brief history, established some areas of local support before helping to form the National Front in 1967.
Formation
The party was formed in 1960 by the merger of the National Labour PartyNational Labour Party (UK, 1957)
The National Labour Party was a far right political party founded in 1957 by John Bean. The party campaigned on a platform of white nationalism, opposition to non-white immigration and anti-Semitism.-Formation:...
and the White Defence League
White Defence League
The White Defence League was a British far-right political group. Using the provocative marching techniques popularised by Oswald Mosley, its members included a young John Tyndall.-Formation:...
, two political splinter groups from the League of Empire Loyalists
League of Empire Loyalists
The League of Empire Loyalists was a British pressure group , established in 1954, which campaigned against the dissolution of the British Empire. The League was a small group of current or former members of the Conservative Party led by Arthur K...
pressure group. Both groups had been active in Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
and had been co-operating closely there since the previous year when a merger was agreed. The new group, which was based at Arnold Leese
Arnold Leese
Arnold Spencer Leese was a British veterinarian and fascist politician. He was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England and educated at Giggleswick School....
House in Notting Hill (the former home of the Imperial Fascist League
Imperial Fascist League
The Imperial Fascist League was a British fascist political movement founded by Arnold Leese in 1929.-Origins:Leese had originally been a member of the British Fascists and indeed had been one of only two members ever to hold elected office for them...
leader used by WDL leader Colin Jordan
Colin Jordan
John Colin Campbell Jordan was a leading figure in postwar Neo-Nazism in Britain. In the far-right nationalist circles of the 1960s, Jordan represented the most explicitly 'Nazi' inclination in his open use of the styles and symbols of the Third Reich.Through organisations such as the National...
as his base of operations), adopted the motto "For Race and Nation" and pledged to oppose the "international Jewish-controlled money-lending system" in its founding policy statement. Indeed so strong was BNP anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
that the party advocated the immediate deportation of all Britain's Jews to either Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
or Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, recalling the Madagascar Plan
Madagascar Plan
The Madagascar Plan was a suggested policy of the Nazi government of Germany to relocate the Jewish population of Europe to the island of Madagascar.-Origins:The evacuation of European Jews to the island of Madagascar was not a new concept...
that had formerly been prevalent. It also demanded an end to immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
, repatriation of immigrants and the impeachment
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
of the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government for what the BNP felt to be their complicity in allowing uncontrolled immigration.
The party was led by John Bean
John Bean
John Edward Bean is a long-standing participant in the British far right, who has been active within a number of movements during the course of his life and is the voice behind the BNP election broadcasts.-Early life:...
, with Andrew Fountaine
Andrew Fountaine
Andrew Fountaine was a veteran of the far right scene in British politics.Born into a land-owning Norfolk family, Fountaine was educated at the Army College in Aldershot and was the son of Vice Admiral Charles Fountaine who had been naval ADC to King George V...
holding the position of Party President, and other leading members including 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...
, Colin Jordan
Colin Jordan
John Colin Campbell Jordan was a leading figure in postwar Neo-Nazism in Britain. In the far-right nationalist circles of the 1960s, Jordan represented the most explicitly 'Nazi' inclination in his open use of the styles and symbols of the Third Reich.Through organisations such as the National...
(who served as Activities Organiser), Denis Pirie
Denis Pirie
Denis Pirie is a veteran of the British far right scene who took a leading role in a number of movements.He began his career as a member of the 1960s British National Party and was appointed a member of the party's national council not long after its foundation...
and Ted Budden
Ted Budden
Edward Budden was a veteran of the far right in the United Kingdom who was well known in such circles for his satirical columns that appeared in a number of publications down the years....
. Leese's widow, who had given Jordan access to her home during his time as WDL leader, served as vice-president of the party.
Activities
The party's early activities were hamstrung by a lack of money and so they were restricted to the sort of headline grabbing that had been the stock-in-trade of the WDL. These included demonstrating at railway stations where immigrant-carrying trains were arriving, holding a counter-demonstration to one organised by the Anti-Apartheid MovementAnti-Apartheid Movement
Anti-Apartheid Movement , originally known as the Boycott Movement, was a British organization that was at the center of the international movement opposing South Africa's system of apartheid and supporting South Africa's Blacks....
and holding a rally to oppose the Lord Mayor's Show
Lord Mayor's Show
The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London, the historic centre of London that is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile...
as the presiding Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
, Bernard Waley-Cohen
Bernard Waley-Cohen
Sir Bernard Nathaniel Waley-Cohen, 1st Baronet , was a British businessman. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1960. He was educated at Clifton College where he was a member of Polacks....
, was Jewish. However the BNP managed to secure an 8.1% share of the vote in Deptford
Deptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
in the 1960 London County Council
London County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
(LCC) elections, a large result for a new party without name recognition. A National Youth Movement was also organised and this was sponsored by General Sir Richard Hilton, who was leader of his own Patriotic Party
Patriotic Party (UK)
The Patriotic Party was a far right political party in the United Kingdom.The group began life as the True Tories in 1962 when Major General Sir Richard Hilton, formerly a leading member of the League of Empire Loyalists, set up his own nationalistic group with a membership largely made up of...
. Although rumours circulated at the time that German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
neo-Nazi groups were funding the BNP there is no evidence to back this up and it seems likely that the party was supported by a mixture of collections held in Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
and funds from Fountaine who was personally well-off.
Elements within the party also expressed support for Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
and a paramilitary arm, Spearhead, was set up by Tyndall. Spearhead had initially been set up as group aimed at establishing the BNP outside London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
although its very youthful membership soon lent it a more violent character. Colin Jordan, who would later become a fierce critic of Tyndall would later suggest that Spearhead was set up as much to get Tyndall out of the way as anything else. The party also hosted a summer camp on Fountaine's land and this grew into an international event, beginning in 1961 when delegates attended from the National States' Rights Party
National States' Rights Party
National States' Rights Party was a far right, white supremacist party that briefly played a minor role in the politics of the United States.-Foundation:...
and the Nordic Reich Party
Nordic Reich Party
The Nordic National Party was a Neo-Nazi political party in Sweden, founded in 1956 as the National Socialist Combat League of Sweden by Göran Assar Oredsson...
amongst others. In early 1962 Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
had approached both Jordan and Bean and had offered them positions as national organisers within his group, which would subsume the BNP. However the plan was rejected as neither man had faith in Mosley whilst the two were increasingly on a collision course within the BNP itself.
Split
The BNP quickly began to break down into arguments and in-fighting began as Bean believed that the open Nazism of Jordan and Tyndall (who had stated that "Hitler was right") was proving damaging to the Party's image and chances of success. Bean had first raised the issue in 1961 when he almost unseated Jordan from his role as national organiser and in February 1962 he presented a resolution condemning Jordan's open Nazism at a meeting of the national council. The resolution was passed 7 votes to 5 and, after a struggle, the party spilt with around 80% of the membership backing Bean and the rest, including Tyndall and Pirie, leaving with Jordan to join a new National Socialist Movement. The remaining BNP came under effective control of John Bean, who had previously been limited in his control by the presence of Jordan, as a result of the split.Opposition
The departure of Jordan and the subsequent arrest of the leaders of the NSM brought a lot of public attention to the far-right in general and the BNP's 1962 summer camp, where a Falangist and an Organisation de l'armée secrète leader were amongst the guests, was surrounded by press photographers despite Fountaine telling them that it was merely a "holiday camp". Meanwhile the BNP, along with the Union Movement and other extremist groups, faced increasing opposition from the Jewish "Yellow Star Movement", which had itself become increasingly radicalised with a group of 40 BNP members attacked and beaten up on 2 September 1962 in London.Bean's BNP
Under the sole control of Bean the party, like most of its contemporaries on the far right, had a severe shortage of money and as early as 1963 an issue of the party journal Combat spoke of possible doom for the BNP if new sources of money were not found. However against this backdrop a new area of local support opened up for the BNP.Following changes in the local demographics a group of whites set up a Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
Residents Association which, whilst not specifically anti-immigration, wanted the immigrants already in the area to integrate whilst stopping further migrants from settling locally. Whilst this was the official policy some members, notably chairman Arthur Cooney and treasurer Doris Hart, wanted stronger opposition and in the 1963 local elections they nominated two BNP candidates to stand in the Glebe and Hambrough wards. Although neither was elected their votes were respectable, 13.5% in Glebe and 27.5% in Hambrough where the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
lost a normally safe seat to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
after a swing from Labour to BNP. Bean saw the potential in this sort of local issue as a springboard to finally building the sort of mass party that he desired and as such he stood as a candidate in Southall
Southall (UK Parliament constituency)
Southall was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Southall district of west London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
. Adopting a platform based on ending all "coloured" immigration and offering National Assistance only to immigrants who agreed to accept repatriation Bean secured 9% of the vote, which was at that point the highest ever won by a candidate running on an avowedly racialist ticket. With a "Stop Immigration Now" campaign the party finally enjoyed some comparative success.
However within the political mainstream the major parties began to turn away from the immigration issue and this mood was reflected by the electorate in the 1966 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
with vocal anti-immigration politicians either suffering reduced majorities, as happened to Enoch Powell
Enoch Powell
John Enoch Powell, MBE was a British politician, classical scholar, poet, writer, and soldier. He served as a Conservative Party MP and Minister of Health . He attained most prominence in 1968, when he made the controversial Rivers of Blood speech in opposition to mass immigration from...
, or the loss of seats, like Peter Griffiths
Peter Griffiths
Peter Harry Steve Griffiths is a retired English Conservative Party politician. He is best known for controversially gaining the Smethwick seat in the 1964 general election against the national trend.-Life:...
. This shift in attitudes impacted upon the BNP with Bean's personal vote in Southall falling to 7.4%, a candidate in Deptford
Deptford (UK Parliament constituency)
Deptford was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Deptford district of South London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
winning 7% and a candidate in Smethwick
Smethwick (UK Parliament constituency)
Smethwick was a parliamentary constituency, centred on the town of Smethwick in Staffordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post voting system....
, where much local work had been undertaken by the party, managing only 1.5%.
Under Bean the BNP grew to become the largest political party on the far right and the only one with a comparatively good track record in electoral politics yet its ambitions were consistently hamstrung by a terminal lack of money and increasingly it looked like the future for the BNP lay in working much more closely with other groups.
The National Front
With a new spirit of unity prevalent on the far right, John Tyndall approached the BNP in early 1966 with a request that it should merge with his Greater Britain MovementGreater Britain Movement
The Greater Britain Movement was a British far right political group formed by John Tyndall in 1964 after he split from Colin Jordan's National Socialist Movement...
and the Racial Preservation Society
Racial Preservation Society
The Racial Preservation Society was a right-wing pressure group opposed to immigration and in favour of white nationalism, national preservation and protection in the United Kingdom in the 1960s.-Background:...
. However Ron Cuddon, a member of the BNP Council and staunch opponent of Tyndall, vetoed the request whilst it was also rejected by the RPS. In September that same year however the BNP agreed with leading RPS member Dr David Brown that they would seek to unify as the National Democratic Party
National Democratic Party (UK, 1966)
The National Democratic Party was a right wing political party that operated in the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s. The NDP sought to poisition itself as an early rival to the National Front although ultimately it failed to challenege the position of this group.-Background:The NDP had...
. Within a week however this plan had been abandoned both due to Bean still wanting to find an accommodation with the GBM and his reluctance to serve under Brown, who insisted on full leadership of the new party for himself.
Sensing that his own presence was putting Chesterton off, due to his own neo-Nazi background, Bean resigned from the BNP Council in September 1966 with his place being taken by Philip Maxwell, who was close to Chesterton. As a result merger negotiations that began with the LEL soon afterwards were not attended by Bean but rather saw Maxwell and Fountaine present the BNP's case. Maxwell addressed the LEL conference in October 1966 by which time merger discussions were so far advanced that the names National Independence Party and British Front were already being considered for the new group. At the conference a working party was established to finalise details of the new group, consisting of Philip Maxwell, Bernard Simmons and Gerald Kemp from the BNP and Austen Brooks, Rosine de Bounevialle, Avril Walters and Nettie Bonner representing the LEL. On 7 February 1967 the BNP officially went out of existence as the new movement, by now officially known as 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 ....
, was declared in existence.