We’ll be back say BNP activists

Leon Watson | Wednesday, 11 May 2005 Source: South Wales Evening Post

Far right British National Party activists today claimed they have secured a foot in the door in Swansea despite polling just 770 votes in the city in last week's General Election. Party bosses have also promised they will return to fight the next election despite multi-party opposition offering a united front against its participation.

BNP members are thought to have used Swansea East to test the water in the city before a possible major push to gain seats in the next council elections in two years' time.

The extreme right wing group's candidate in Swansea East, Sketty businessman Kevin Holloway, only polled 2.5 per cent of the vote in the first election fought by the BNP in the city.

But in a statement posted on the party's Wales website yesterday, Swansea activists warned next time they will not be "so green" after their humiliating failure on May 5.

Party bosses also accused rival candidates of "childish" behaviour on election night as Labour, Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru representatives staged a protest against the BNP.

The statement said: "The election has been quite a learning curve for us here in Swansea.

"We were all novices to the political scene but have been learning fast, so at the next election we will not be quite as green as we have been to date.

"We have our foot in the door here in Swansea and we are here to stay, we just have to get the electorate to think about who and what they are voting for."

Swansea East's new Labour MP Sian James said today: "If the BNP comes to Swansea again there will be another broad coalition against them highlighting the nastiness of their campaign.

"What we did was not childish and I have to say all the parties in Swansea really took the nastiness of what the BNP stands for very seriously."