Lancashire victory raises BNP hopes for European vote

Published on Friday 5 June 2009 22:25

THE British National Party won its first seats on English county councils yesterday, including a landmark victory in Lancashire, where Labour's 20-year rule ended.

The far-right party took the Padiham and Burnley West ward, its principal stronghold in the north-west, where it already has four district councillors.

The BNP's victory, with 30 per cent of the vote, buoyed local activists' hopes of getting party leader Nick Griffin elected as an MEP.

He needs around 8 per cent of the vote to take a north-west seat, against the 6.4 per cent he polled in 2004.

The party scored a shock result in Leicestershire, winning a county council seat in Coalville. The BNP also picked up a seat at Hertfordshire County Council.

Deirdre Gates beat competition from the three main parties to secure the South Oxhey Ward in the Three Rivers district. She took 783 votes, beating Labour's Nena Spellen by just 27 votes.

The BNP's three victories came despite the efforts of the main parties and anti-racism groups to persuade voters not to back the party.

Kitty Ussher, Labour MP for Burnley, said: "It is disappointing. We have lost some really good county councillors who have worked very hard to serve their community."