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By

Jessica Elgot,

Jessica Elgot

Analysis

British National Party bucks far-right trend in Europe - by losing

May 10, 2012 13:38
BNP leader Nick Griffin out on the campaign trail. But he was manifestly unsuccessful
1 min read

Support for the British National Party has "collapsed" in all of its former strongholds, losing 10 of the 12 council seats it was defending.

The far-right party lost its seat in the London Assembly and all its candidates lost their deposits, according to Hope Not Hate. The anti-fascist group calculated that the BNP lost around £200,000 fielding candidates in the London elections, having spent more than UKIP. In London, it polled just 2.1 per cent of the vote.

Hope Not Hate's Matthew Collins said: "Across Europe, it's apparent that the far right is gaining support, but in Britain they are doing very badly.

"The party picked a pidgin-English speaking mayoral candidate [Carlos Cortiglia] who was second only to [BNP leader] Nick Griffin in his unpopularity."

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