A close friend of the murderous Kray twins is one of two major donors to the British National Party in the third quarter of 2009. Eileen Sheridan-Price, a former beauty queen, gave £5,105 to the BNP in September.

Sheridan-Price says the East End of London was “a much nicer, safer place” when the Kray twins were around. Reginald and Ronald Kray were notorious gangsters who ran organised crime in the East End during the 1950s and 1960s. They were involved in torture, armed robberies, arson, protection rackets and murder to enforce their will. They were both convicted in 1969 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

One can see the attraction of the BNP for an admirer of the Krays.

The other large donor in the period was Charles Hancock, who gave £8,700 in August. Neither name has previously appeared in the list of people giving more than £5,000 to the party. The BNP has still not submitted its 2008 accounts.