Griffin to discover BNP leadership fate
Wednesday, 11 August 2010 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
The British National party (BNP) is set to announce whether any leadership challengers have sufficient support to force a vote against incumbent Nick Griffin.
The far-right politician, whose appearance on BBC1's Question Time programme prompted huge media attention last year, wants to stay on as the BNP's leader until 2013.
Later today the BNP will announce whether any of Derek Adams, London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook or elections strategist Eddy Butler have received sufficient nominations to force a vote.
Each candidate has prepared 150-word manifestoes which reveal deep concern about the state of the party. Its high-profile general election focus on Barking and Dagenham saw Mr Griffin reduce his party's share of the vote, while its presence on the local council was wiped out.
Mr Adams accused Mr Butler of having "spread black lies and propaganda" about him. Mr Barnbrook claimed the party was "divided". Mr Butler said he would make sure the party stays together "with no recriminations" after the leadership election.
Mr Griffin sought to defend his record by arguing he had turned his party "from a bad political joke into a major factor in British politics".
"To break contracts, sack our young team in the highly popular and successful call centre, and go back to amateurism, would be organisational and financial suicide," he pressed.
"The experience and technology we've acquired must be used to modernise our election-fighting machine, not thrown away out of spite and personal ambition."
Mr Griffin wants to abandon his party's leadership in 2013 to focus on holding on to his north-west seat in the European parliament.
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