Following the increasing profile of BNP in local and European elections, the general of election of 2010 was the first real test of support for the Party. The success of the Party in the 2009 European election saw 2 elected MEP’S in Nick Griffin and Andrew Brons receiving an increase in funding, subsequently allowing for a the potential for a more sophisticated political campaign with increased resources and arguably the first opportunity for the BNP to win a seat at Westminster.
Indeed, the campaigning was dominated by negative publicity and perhaps more importantly elements of factions within the Party which saw Nick Griffin accusing members of his Party of a plot to kill him, which saw publicity director Mark Collett arrested. Moreover, the BNP website, considered by the Party to be a key element in their campaigning was closed by website manager Simon Bennett, accusing Griffin of being “pathetic, desperate and incompetent” (Telegraph 2007). A subsequently message from Griffin was put on the website, but with nothing else to show for the site. The Party’s cause was further hindered by footage of Bob Bailey, candidate for Romford brawling with Asian youths whilst out canvassing , which featured across the national media.
The Party have subsequently won 522, 977 votes, at 1.9% of the vote nationally, an increase of 1.2% on 2005. It is to be expected that the Party will point to this as the best result by any far right organisation in Britain. However despite breaking through the 1% barrier for the first time at an election, the election can be regarded somewhat as a failure for the BNP and indeed brings into question the future of Griffin.
In Barking, where the BNP polled 16.4%, hopes were high amongst BNP members of producing a serious challenge to Margaret Hodge, the incumbent Labour MP. The potential support for the Party in the area was seen in recent council elections which had seen the BNP becoming the official opposition on Barking and Dagenham council. Yet despite this, Griffin only polled 6620 votes and was beaten into 3rd place by Conservative candidate Simon Marcus. Further disappointment was to come in Stoke, where again BNP expectations had been high of a strong support, notably due to the decision by the Labour hierarchy to parachute in academic Tristram Hunt, much to the chagrin of local Labour supporters, thus raising the possibility of voters turning to the BNP as a protest against Hunt. Additionally, local council results had previously produced strong support for the BNP. Again, despite these hopes, BNP candidate Simon Darby polled 2502 votes, coming in 4th behind Hunt and the Lib Dem and Conservative candidates. Similar stories were witnessed across other areas which had witnessed strong BNP support in previous elections such as Burnley, Dewsbury and Keighley. To compound this disappointment, as local election results come in, it is said that the Party are not performing strongly, notably losing their representation in cities such as Leeds.
So where does this leave the BNP? Whilst Griffin has categorically ruled out any possibility of him leaving his post as Party Chairman, discontent amongst Party members is growing with calls for his resignation getting louder. It remains unclear as to whether Griffin could carry on with what has always been historically a fractious group of members. It would be naive to suggest that the BNP’s support has peaked and is on the way down, as events in France at the beginning of the decade have proven that the far right will almost certainly have periods of support, and decline, yet whether the Party can achieve any breakthrough under Griffin’s leadership is certainly more doubtful, much to the relief of the mainstream parties.
