Lawrence Rustem, has been active in the BNP since 1991 and was the Chairman of the "Ethnic Liaison Committee" 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...

, a group set up in 2001 to co-ordinate work between the party and non-British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 people with similar aims. Rustem is half English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 and half Turkish Cypriot.

He studied politics at Greenwich University, where his presence caused controversy. NATFHE

National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education

The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education was the British trade union and professional association for people working with those above statutory school age, and primarily concerned with providing education, training or research...

, the university lecturers' union, called for his expulsion from the University, on the grounds that his presence could encourage racist campaigning there.

He unsuccessfully stood for election as a local councillor in the Colyers Lane ward of Bexley

Bexley

Bexley is an South East London]] in the London Borough of Bexley, London, England. It is located on the banks of the River Cray south of the Roman Road, Watling Street...

. He then stood for Parliament in the Dagenham constituency

Dagenham (UK Parliament constituency)

Dagenham was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...

 in the 2005 UK General Election

United Kingdom general election, 2005

The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....

 where he received 9.3% of the votes. In the 2006 local elections he was elected as a councillor for the Valence ward of Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council

Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Barking and Dagenham is divided into 17 wards, each electing three...

. In the 2010 General election, he contested the Greenwich and Woolwich constituency for the BNP and lost his seat on Barking and Dagenham Council in the 2010 local elections.
The website of BNP Reform lists Rustem as having been suspended from the BNP due to internal differences with the leadership. He left the BNP in 2011.

Elections contested

UK Parliament

Date of election	Constituency	Party	Votes	%
2005 general election United Kingdom general election, 2005 The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....	Dagenham Dagenham (UK Parliament constituency) Dagenham was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...	BNP 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...	2,870	9.3
2010 general election	Greenwich and Woolwich	BNP 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...	1,151	2.8

London Assembly elections (Entire London city)

Date of election	Party	Votes	%	Results	Notes
2004 London Assembly election, 2004 An election to the Assembly of London took place on 10 June 2004, along with the London mayoral election, 2004.The Assembly is elected by the Additional Member System. There are fourteen directly elected constituencies, nine of which were won by the Conservatives and five by the Labour Party...	BNP 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...	90,365	4.71	Not elected	Multi-members party list
2008 London Assembly election, 2008 An election to the Assembly of London took place on 1 May 2008, along with the London mayoral election, 2008. The Conservatives gained 2 seats, Labour gained one seat, the Liberal Democrats lost two seats, and United Kingdom Independence Party or One London as they became were wiped out...	BNP 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...	130,714	5.3	Not elected	Multi-members party list

European Parliament elections

Year	Region	Party	Votes	%	Result	Notes
2004	London London (European Parliament constituency) London is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 8 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :The constituency corresponds to Greater London, in the south east of the United Kingdom....	BNP 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...	76,152	4.0	Not-elected	Multi-member constituency; party list

External links

• BBC Panorama page on Rustem