BNP's shock victory in council election sparks fears of surge in votes across Britain

The British National Party has scored a surprise victory in a council by-election.

The far-Right party took a seat in the Lincolnshire market town of Boston, where migrants make up a quarter of the population. Anti-racism campaigners warned that the win would lead to scaremongering about foreigners and an increase in violence and threats.

It is the first district council seat in Lincolnshire, for the British National Party. BNP candidate David Owens polled 279 votes - a 138-majority over the ruling Boston Bypass Independent candidate. The Tories came third.

In his victory speech, Mr Owens said local media organisations had tried to "hoodwink" the public into thinking the "BNP was a racist party". He said: "We are not a racist party - we are passionate about our country. I think the people of Fenside and the people of Boston have said tonight that immigration is at capacity here."

But Tory MP Mark Simmonds, who represents Boston and Skegness, said: "The BNP are a threat to our country, who contribute nothing to society. This must be a wake up call to all parties to ensure that they campaign hard and represent people effectively and leave no room for people to feel disaffected and turn to the BNP."

Labour MP Jon Cruddas, who has campaigned furiously against the BNP in his own London constituency, said: "It is always a worry when the BNP wins because with it comes escalating tensions and scaremongering and fears in the community. People have got to realise that the consequences of them giving support to the BNP at the ballot box is an increase in threats and violence."

He said it was vital that political parties tackled the underlying reasons behind the rise of the BNP - concerns about housing, jobs and public services being taken by migrants.

The town has a huge numbers of migrants, especially from Portugal and Poland, who take low-paid work on farms picking flowers, fruit and vegetables and in food processing plants. Critics have accused the Government of failing to prepare cash-strapped councils for the influx of immigrants by giving them the resources to invest in public services.

This has left schools, health facilities and transport struggling to cope with greater numbers. Earlier this year, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears admitted that 25 per cent of people in Boston, which has a population of 70,000, were migrants.

She confessed the "scale and pace of change" had been so dramatic that there are now 65 languages spoken in the market town. In the 2001 census 96 per cent of Boston residents were white British while only 1.1 percent regarded themselves as "white other" which would include eastern Europeans.

In June, Ms Blears announced plans to send a specialist "tension-busting" team of Whitehall officials into Breckland, Norfolk, where the influx of migrants has caused "friction". The area saw racial problems when Portugal knocked England out of Euro 2004 and a mob in the local town of Thetford attacked the Red Lion pub, popular with Portuguese nationals, throwing rocks and bottles and setting fire to cars.

Last month, the head of the race relations watchdog warned that Britain risked a surge in far-right extremism unless it took urgent action to target training and skills at people stuck in a new white "underclass".

Trevor Phillips, chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said the Government urgently needed to takes active steps to help those hit hardest by the economic crisis - including the white working class.

Daily Mail

Frontrunner For Deputy Leadership Calls For Action Against The BNP

Leading anti BNP campaigner and deputy leadership frontrunner, Jon Cruddas MP, is to meeting with trade unions from tomorrow in a call to arms against the BNP.

In the week following news that the BNP is to field almost 900 candidates in the May elections, Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham, says we have to convert people's feelings of fear and revulsion into immediate and on the ground action.

Jon, together with the anti-fascist organisation, Searchlight, wants to mobilise the trade union movement, including their officers, activists and millions of members against the BNP.

Jon Cruddas, frontrunner for deputy leadership of the Labour Party and MP for Dagenham, said:

"We need the entire labour movement to understand the threat that the BNP represents in the upcoming elections and the need to mobilise it against it.

"We have just over two weeks to convince people that the BNP is dangerous and offers no solutions. We need to implement a strategic, local and very visible campaign to combat the BNP's arguments on the ground and to tell people that they shouldn't be persuaded to vote for them, even to register a protest."

Jon Cruddas has travelled the country over the last two weeks with Searchlight's 'Hope Not Hate' tour which has taken in all of the UK's major cities and many of the towns and communities where the BNP is active. Celebrities such as Billy Bragg, the Sugarbabes, Amir Khan, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale cast members and Manchester City footballers greeted the 'Hope Not Hate' bus.

The BNP have almost trebled their number of candidates in the upcoming Welsh, Scottish and local elections. They are fielding 876 candidates UK wide this time, over 500 more than the number it stood in last year's local elections.

Jon Cruddas is MP for Dagenham. In his constituency there is one BNP councillor, in neighbouring Barking 11 BNP councillors were elected last year, polling 39% of the vote. Jon is standing as a candidate for deputy leader of the Labour Party. For more information on Jon Cruddas' deputy leadership campaign visit www.joncruddas.org.uk

Jon Cruddas' Deputy Leadership bid has received the support of 100 Labour grassroots activists from every area of the country. They include councillors, local party secretaries and trade union officials. He was overwhelmingly endorsed by 53% of Compass members in March. He has also received the support of Amicus General Secretary Derek Simpson and T&G leader Tony Woodley.

CCNMatthews Press