BNP claims success in council poll

The BNP say they trounced the other political parties in last week's Swansea local election despite not winning a seat in the local election results.This controversial claim appears in a news story on their website headlined ''Tories, Plaid Cymru and Lib Dems trounced in Swansea''.

The far right party have insisted the contests in Swansea were a major success on election night.

The party contested the Morriston, Llansamlet, Landore and Bonymaen wards last week, but although beating several Conservative candidates and a handful of representatives from other parties, they did not win a council seat.

Simon Darby, aged 43, deputy leader of the BNP, said: "I support that statement on our website because we did beat the Conservative, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru candidates across Swansea. We had some very good results in Swansea against the established parties. The results were particularly encouraging because we are a party from England and it was heartening to see that the Welsh people feel the same way as us."

He added: "The results in Swansea - in particular to be beaten by us - must have been very disappointing for the Conservatives when they made gains everywhere else in the UK."

A Welsh Conservative Party spokesman hit back: "These absurd claims fly in the face of the facts. The BNP's divisive, extremist views were rejected by voters in Swansea and every other part of Wales."

Swansea Evening Post