Brewery boss slams BNP

A brewery boss has labelled the BNP "racist" after it emerged the party had used one of his pubs to hold a meeting.

William Lees-Jones, managing director of JW Lees, said he was "shocked" after a Guardian investigation revealed the Assheton Arms Hotel, on Market Place, was the venue for the far-right British National Party's Middleton conference on Thursday 15 March.

"There's no way we would support such a terrible organisation," he said. "We would not want to be associated with them. They are racists and there's no place for that sort of thinking. I recognise people's right to freedom of speech, but they can go and do it somewhere else."

He added: "It is the last meeting they will be holding at the Assheton Arms."

Mr Lees-Jones said the BNP had booked the function room under an alias, saying it was for a business meeting. The manageress of the pub was unaware of the party's presence, he added.

The BNP was due to hold another meeting at the Assheton Arms on Tuesday night but was forced to cancel after Mr Lees-Jones became aware of their conference. Organiser of the BNP Rochdale branch, Kevin Bryan, said: "There will still be a meeting in Middleton. Even if it is on a car park we'll do it, because that's what the people of Middleton want."

Mr Bryan said pub landlords across Greater Manchester welcome the BNP's meetings and the party had used JW Lees pubs throughout the north west for many years. He added he would send a letter to all party members to boycott JW Lees pubs in the north west after Mr Lees-Jones' comments.

Two weeks ago, the BNP declared the town as one of its biggest growth areas and considered fielding a candidate for the local elections in May. But last week it was announced that no candidate from the BNP had been put forward in Rochdale borough.

The party now plans to hold regular monthly meetings in the area after the success of the March event, attended by around 30 people. Mr Bryan said a look at the BNP's party manifesto shows there is "nothing terrible about the organisation". Their 2006 council election manifesto promised an "asylum clampdown" and an end to "all council spending on all politically-correct projects designed to favour Labour and Liberal Democrat pet minorities".

Middleton Guardian