New Britain Party
Encyclopedia
New Britain was a minor British
right wing political party
founded by Dennis Delderfield in 1976. The party was de-registered in November 2008.
United Country Party
, which had been chaired by TV astronomer Patrick Moore
. Around this time it also absorbed a small anti-devolution group called the Keep Britain United Party. This party had contested a single seat (Carmarthen
) in the 1979 general election
.
. It campaigned for the return of capital punishment
, and was supported by the Christian Affirmation Campaign, a fundamentalist movement opposed to what it saw as the World Council of Churches
' support for Communist
regimes in Africa
. As a white nationalist party, it supported Apartheid and Rhodesia
, and Delderfield signed a letter in 2000 that argued that "suburb after suburb and town after town across the land have been taken over by Asians, Africans and Afro-Caribbeans.... In the not too distant future they will have direct control in many areas." A 1977 election leaflet stated that "coloured immigration to this country must stop completely and immediately."
, Beaconsfield
, Penrith and the Border
and Bermondsey
, as well as putting up two candidates in the general elections of 1979
and 1983
. Its best performance was at the Bournemouth East by-election
of November 1977, but the party's candidate in the Ilford North by-election
of March 1978 was revealed to be a convicted child abuser after nominations had closed, and his endorsement was withdrawn.
In the 1994 European Parliament election
, the last to be held under first past the post
, it achieved moderate success, saving its deposit in one seat and nearly doing so in another.
In the 2010 general election, standing as an independent candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster
Parliamentary constituency, from the contact address listed on the New Britain website, Dennis Delderfield finished third from bottom, ahead of the Pirate Party UK
candidate and "Mad Cap'n Tom".
, including Mike Nattrass
, later a Member of the European Parliament
for UKIP, who stood as New Britain candidate in the Dudley West by-election of 1994
, gaining 146 votes. His fellow UKIP MEP Jeffrey Titford
was also a briefly a member after the Referendum Party
folded. Another UKIP candidate, Brian Smalley, joined in 1994 and was a member of the national committee. All three deny that the party was racist.
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...
right wing political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
founded by Dennis Delderfield in 1976. The party was de-registered in November 2008.
Founding
It was led since its creation by Dennis Delderfield, a former Common Councilman of the City of London and editor of the City of London & Dockland Times. In 1980, the party absorbed the anti-immigrationOpposition to immigration
Opposition to immigration is present in most nation-states with immigration, and has become a significant political issue in many countries. Immigration in the modern sense refers to movement of people from one nation-state to another, where they are not citizens. It is important to distinguish...
United Country Party
United Country Party
The United Country Party was a minor political party in the United Kingdom during the late 1970s. The Party was against immigration, inflation and the excesses of the 'Winter of Discontent', claiming to represent 'people with common sense'....
, which had been chaired by TV astronomer Patrick Moore
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS is a British amateur astronomer who has attained prominent status in astronomy as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter of the subject, and who is credited as having done more than any other person to raise the profile of...
. Around this time it also absorbed a small anti-devolution group called the Keep Britain United Party. This party had contested a single seat (Carmarthen
Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency)
Carmarthen was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Wales which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1542 and 1997...
) in the 1979 general election
United 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...
.
Positions
New Britain was described as an "avowedly racist party" by The ObserverThe Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
. It campaigned for the return of capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
, and was supported by the Christian Affirmation Campaign, a fundamentalist movement opposed to what it saw as the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
' support for Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
regimes in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. As a white nationalist party, it supported Apartheid and Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, and Delderfield signed a letter in 2000 that argued that "suburb after suburb and town after town across the land have been taken over by Asians, Africans and Afro-Caribbeans.... In the not too distant future they will have direct control in many areas." A 1977 election leaflet stated that "coloured immigration to this country must stop completely and immediately."
Electoral history
The party became active participants in by-elections, contesting those held in City of London and WestminsterCity of London and Westminster South by-election, 1977
The City of London and Westminster South by-election on 24 February 1977 was held after Conservative Member of Parliament Christopher Tugendhat resigned the seat upon his appointment to the European Commission...
, Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield by-election, 1982
The Beaconsfield by-election, 1982 was a parliamentary by-election held on 27 May 1982 for the British House of Commons constituency of Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire...
, Penrith and the Border
Penrith and The Border by-election, 1983
The Penrith and The Border by-election, 1983 was a parliamentary by-election held on 28 July 1983 for the British House of Commons constituency of Penrith and The Border in Cumbria....
and Bermondsey
Bermondsey by-election, 1983
A by-election was held in the Bermondsey constituency in South London, on 24 February 1983, following the resignation of Labour MP Robert Mellish, who had represented the constituency and its predecessors in the House of Commons since 1946...
, as well as putting up two candidates in the general elections of 1979
United 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...
and 1983
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
. Its best performance was at the Bournemouth East by-election
Bournemouth East by-election, 1977
The Bournemouth East by election was a by election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom held on 24 November 1977 after the resignation of John Cordle following his criticism by a Select Committee for business links to corrupt architect John Poulson....
of November 1977, but the party's candidate in the Ilford North by-election
Ilford North by-election, 1978
The Ilford North by-election of 2 March 1978 was held after the death of Labour Member of Parliament Millie Miller on 29 October 1977. The seat was gained by the Conservatives in a defeat for James Callaghan's government.-Results:...
of March 1978 was revealed to be a convicted child abuser after nominations had closed, and his endorsement was withdrawn.
In the 1994 European Parliament election
European Parliament election, 1994
The 1994 European Parliamentary Election was a European election held across the 12 European Union member states in June 1994.This election saw the merge of the European People's Party and European Democrats, an increase in the overall number of seats and a fall in overall turnout to...
, the last to be held under first past the post
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
, it achieved moderate success, saving its deposit in one seat and nearly doing so in another.
In the 2010 general election, standing as an independent candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster
Cities of London and Westminster (UK Parliament constituency)
Cities of London and Westminster is a borough constituency covering the area comprising the City of London and southern portion of the City of Westminster in Central London...
Parliamentary constituency, from the contact address listed on the New Britain website, Dennis Delderfield finished third from bottom, ahead of the Pirate Party UK
Pirate Party UK
Pirate Party UK is a political party in the United Kingdom. The Pirate Party's core policies are to bring about reform to Copyright and Patent laws, support privacy and reduce surveillance from government and businesses, and guarantee genuine freedom of speech for everyone.The Pirate Party UK...
candidate and "Mad Cap'n Tom".
Membership
Some former members later joined the United Kingdom Independence PartyUnited Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
, including Mike Nattrass
Mike Nattrass
Mike Nattrass is an English politician and Member of the European Parliament, representing the West Midlands constituency for the UK Independence Party , elected for the first time in June 2004 and re-elected in June 2009....
, later a Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
for UKIP, who stood as New Britain candidate in the Dudley West by-election of 1994
Dudley West by-election, 1994
A by-election was held for the British House of Commons constituency of Dudley West on 15 December 1994 following the death of the sitting Conservative Member of Parliament John Blackburn....
, gaining 146 votes. His fellow UKIP MEP Jeffrey Titford
Jeffrey Titford
Jeffrey William Titford is a British politician who served as leader of the UK Independence Party from 2000 until 2002. He served again as interim leader in September to November 2010 following the resignation of Lord Pearson of Rannoch...
was also a briefly a member after the Referendum Party
Referendum Party
The Referendum Party was a Euro-sceptic, single issue party in the United Kingdom formed by Sir James Goldsmith to fight the 1997 General Election. The party called for a referendum on aspects of the UK's relationship with the European Union.-Policy:...
folded. Another UKIP candidate, Brian Smalley, joined in 1994 and was a member of the national committee. All three deny that the party was racist.