British Freedom Party

|British nationalism |Euroscepticism |Islamophobia

The British Freedom Party (BFP) was a short-lived far-right political party in the United Kingdom. after failing to return the annual registration form and £25 fee by the due date of 31 October 2012.

Formation

The BFP was registered on 18 October 2010 by Paul Weston (party leader), George Whale (nominating officer) and Richard Bateman (treasurer). The chairman until January 2013 was Paul Weston, a former UK Independence Party candidate in Cities of London and Westminster. He described the party as "central" in orientation.

The BFP formed a pact with the English Defence League (EDL), whereby members of the latter could stand as election candidates under the British Freedom Party name, given suitable circumstances. It was announced in April 2012 that the EDL leader, Tommy Robinson, would be named deputy party leader. According to The Guardian he would focus on anti-Islamic strategies. Weston was replaced in early January 2013 by Kevin Carroll, former deputy leader of the EDL. Weston went on to found Liberty GB which put forward three candidates, including Weston, for the 2014 European election.

Mission statement

The stated objectives of the British Freedom Party were "to defend and restore the freedoms, traditions, unity, identity, democracy and independence of the British people, to establish full sovereignty over all our national affairs by restoring the supremacy of the British Parliament, to withdraw from the European Union, to promote democratic British nationalist principles, to promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural interests of the British people and to preserve and promote the ancestral rights and liberties of the British people as defined in the British Constitution."

The party also had a 20 Point Plan on its main website, highlighting some of its key policies. They ranged from economic issues to social ones.

Ideology

The British Freedom Party espoused what it called "cultural nationalism". Weston said in an interview that the founders of the British Freedom Party "believed that culture, not color, was the important thing in Britain especially multi-cultural Britain. We can have one culture and it's not important about what color or race you come from".

Stephen Tweed, the BFP's local party organiser for Kings Lynn and West Norfolk, objected in April 2012 to the creation of an Islamic centre in a former pub in King's Lynn, because it would be "exclusive, it will not be for the general public, it will be for Muslims only".

Membership

According to the party's official return to the Electoral Commission, at the end of 2010 the party had 62 members. The report continues "Our membership to date is approximately 149", but no date is provided.

Elections

In the 2012 local elections the British Freedom Party fielded six candidates, five of them in Liverpool. All polled very low, ranging from 0.6% of the vote to 4.2%. In Fazakerley, Peter Stafford received 50 votes, a 1.51% share of the total in that ward.

The party stood Kevin Carroll, the deputy leader of the EDL, in the November 2012 Police and Crime Commissioner election in Bedfordshire. He came fourth with 8,675 votes (10.6%), saving his deposit.

References

References

1. Rawlinson, Kevin. (14 January 2013). "Joint leader of English Defence League Kevin Carroll arrested on suspicion of race hate crime". [[The Independent]].
2. Townsend, Mark. (28 April 2012). "Britain's far right to focus on anti-Islamic policy". The Observer.
3. Holden, Michael. (23 March 2012). "UK anti-Islamist group to form 'Freedom Party'". Reuters.
4. Sonia Gable. (December 2012). "British Freedom Party deregistration: the truth". Searchlight.
5. "Registration summary British Freedom Party". Electoral Commission.
6. Trilling, Daniel. (12 September 2012). "10 myths of the UK's far right". The Guardian.
7. Kevin Rawlinson. (25 November 2011). "English Defence League prepares to storm local elections". [[The Independent]].
8. "Michael Coren interviews Paul Weston".
9. "Kev Carroll Becomes British Freedom Chairman". British Freedom.
10. Martin Evans, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/10792895/Election-candidate-arrested-over-Churchill-speech.html "Election candidate arrested over Churchill speech"], ''The Telegraph'', 28 April 2014
11. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-27186573 "Euro candidate Paul Weston arrested over Islam remarks"], ''BBC News'', 28 April 2014
12. "British Freedom Party Mission Statement". British Freedom Party.
13. "20 Point Plan". British Freedom.
14. "What is British Cultural Nationalism?". British Freedom Party.
15. Gordon, Jerry. (March 2012). "A Future for Britain Free from Islamization: An Interview with British Freedom Party Chairman, Paul Weston". New English Review.
16. "Free Speech Banned on YouTube". British Freedom Party.
17. (26 April 2012). "Racist messages about King's Lynn Islamic centre taken off website". BBC News Norfolk.
18. British Freedom Party ''Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2010'', page 3 (Available from [https://pefonline.electoralcommission.org.uk/Search/SOASearch.aspx Electoral Commission searchable database])
19. (3 October 2022). "Election results by wards, 3 May 2012". Liverpool City Council}}
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20. (31 October 2012). "Police and Crime Commissioners: Who's running?". The Police Foundation.
21. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-20347794 "Bedfordshire Tories criticise Nadine Dorries MP as Labour wins"], ''BBC NEWS Beds, Herts & Bucks'', 16 November 2012