Local Elections 2015 – nationalist results
Cathy Duffy of the BNP lost the council seat in East Goscote ward, Charnwood, that she had held for the past eight years, as 2015’s local elections proved another disaster for nationalist parties. The British National Party has effectively ceased to exist as an electoral force.
At least Mrs Duffy’s years of service were rewarded by a respectable vote: she polled 36.0% to finish runner-up (down 6.3% from the previous contest here in 2011).
Elsewhere the BNP’s collapse was best summed up by the shocking 1.6% vote for John Rowe, the sole BNP candidate in Burnley, who was fighting Rosegrove with Lowerhouse ward. This is a town where the BNP were once the official opposition on the local council and had won numerous seats beginning in 2002.
In occasional wards that had no UKIP candidate, the BNP votes were less embarrassing: for example Wayne Tomlinson in Barton ward, Salford, polled 5.9%. But even in Worcester, pretty much the only area with a functioning BNP branch this year, the party’s vote in its main target ward Nunnery fell from 13% to 1%.
Former BNP activists repelled by years of cronyism and corruption have sought refuge in several different nationalist parties. None achieved anything approaching success this year, all overshadowed by UKIP. However one or two candidates who did not have UKIP opponents showed that well organised campaigns can achieve decent results. Former BNP councillor Graham Partner secured 12.7% for the British Democratic Party in Hugglescote St Johns ward, NW Leicestershire. His BDP colleagues in Thurmaston ward, Charnwood, put up a full slate of candidates in a three-member ward with no UKIP opposition and took 11.5%, while the party’s sole Lancastrian candidate Gary Topping managed 10.2% in Waterside ward, Pendle. Predictably the best English Democrat results were in Barnsley, where former BNP organiser Ian Sutton polled 16.3% in Darton West, and two of his colleagues also managed votes above 10%, but elsewhere EDs struggled to establish an electoral appeal distinct from UKIP.
Two parties were newly registered with the Electoral Commission and had limited campaigns. The National Front managed two candidates, including former North West BNP organiser Chris Jackson, who polled 2.5% in Todmorden ward, Calderdale. A faction of former Griffinites reorganised as British Voice had a single candidate in Bentilee & Ubberley ward, Stoke, where David Leese polled 2.8%.
Full nationalist results from the 2015 local elections
British Democrats
Wyke ward, Bradford
Liam Kernaghan : 0.6%
Loughborough Ashby ward, Charnwood
Kevan Stafford : 1.8%
Thurmaston ward, Charnwood
Chris Canham, Julia Green, Paul Newman : 11.5%
Hugglescote St Johns ward, NW Leics
Graham Partner : 12.7%
Waterside ward, Pendle
Gary Topping : 10.2%
British National Party
Rosegrove with Lowerhouse ward, Burnley
John Rowe : 1.6% (-20.3)
East Goscote ward, Charnwood
Cathy Duffy : 36.0% (-6.3)
CON GAIN FROM BNP
Chaddesden ward, Derby
Paul Hilliard : 1.6% (-2.4)
Irthlingborough Waterloo ward, East Northamptonshire
Marc Whitestone : 9.4% (+9.4)
Moston ward, Manchester
Gareth Black : 1.0% (-3.2)
Vivary Bridge ward, Pendle
John Rowe : 6.8% (-4.6)
Barton ward, Salford
Wayne Tomlinson : 5.9% (+5.9)
Irwell Riverside ward, Salford
Carl Lawson : 1.0% (-2.4)
Bedwardine ward, Worcester
Jennifer Whitwam : 0.5% (-1.0)
Cathedral ward, Worcester
Andrew North : 0.4% (-0.4)
Nunnery ward, Worcester
Carl Mason : 1.0% (-12.0)
St John ward, Worcester
Alan Draper : 0.4% (-1.2)
National Front
Todmorden ward, Calderdale
Chris Jackson : 2.5% (+2.5)
Howdon ward, North Tyneside
Bob Batten : 2.4% (+2.4)
British Voice
Bentilee & Ubberley ward, Stoke
David Leese : 2.8% (+2.8)
English Democrats
Central ward, Barnsley
Colin Porter : 11.2%
Darfield ward, Barnsley
David Burnett : 4.1%
Darton East ward, Barnsley
Sharon Sutton : 7.2%
Darton West ward, Barnsley
Ian Sutton : 16.3%
Hoyland Milton ward, Barnsley
Justin Saxton : 1.9%
Rockingham ward, Barnsley
Kevin Riddiough : 3.8%
St Helen’s ward, Barnsley
Dean Walker : 11.2%
Besses ward, Bury
Stephen Morris : 1.1%
Bentley ward, Doncaster
Keith Hewitt : 7.5%
Bessacarr ward, Doncaster
Barbara Hewitt : 4.2%
Conisbrough ward, Doncaster
John Brennan : 5.2%
Dewsbury South ward, Kirklees
Shaun Maddox : 10.0%
Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields ward, Leicester
Oliver Healey : 3.5%
Thurncourt ward, Leicester
David Haslett : 1.1%
Knotty Ash ward, Liverpool
Derek Grue : 0.2%
Princes Park ward, Liverpool
Steven Greenhalgh : 0.3%
Riverside ward, Liverpool
Michael Lane : 1.5%
St Michaels ward, Liverpool
Paul Rimmer : 0.1%
Warbreck ward, Liverpool
Steven McEllenborough : 0.4%
Stanground Central ward, Peterborough
Nick Capp : 6.2%
Blakenall ward, Walsall
Chris Newey : 1.0%
Patriotic Socialist
Nechells ward, Birmingham
John McAuliffe : 1.0%
Marfleet ward, Hull
Ben Hutchinson : 0.7%
Heckmondwike ward, Kirklees
Karl Varley : 0.1%
Kintbury ward, West Berkshire
Andrew Stott : 1.6%
Nationalist local council candidates 2015
While this year will have the lowest number of nationalist general election candidates since 1987, there will also be a small number of local election candidates. (There are local elections on May 7th in most of the country except for London.)
The British Democratic Party will have seven candidates, including one ward in the Leicestershire borough of Charnwood where they are contesting three vacancies.
The BNP has twelve local council candidates (two of whom are the same man standing in two different council areas), while the National Front has two. So far as we know the new party British Voice, formed by some ex-BNP Griffinites and led by Mike Whitby, has just one candidate.
UKIP will doubtless be helped in Thurrock by the total absence of nationalist candidates.
There are surprisingly few English Democrat candidates in the local elections – 21 – with an apparent north-south divide: they are fighting several wards in Liverpool, Barnsley and Doncaster but hardly any in the south. ED chairman Robin Tilbrook is not fighting a council ward (though he is a parliamentary candidate), and his right-hand man Steve Uncles is not putting up any council candidates for Dartford council, once one of the strongest ED areas (though again Mr Uncles is a parliamentary candidate).
British Democrats
Wyke ward, Bradford
Liam Kernaghan : 0.6%
Loughborough Ashby ward, Charnwood
Kevan Stafford
Thurmaston ward, Charnwood
Chris Canham, Julia Green, Paul Newman
Hugglescote St Johns ward, NW Leics
Graham Partner : 12.7%
Waterside ward, Pendle
Gary Topping : 10.2%
British National Party
Rosegrove with Lowerhouse ward, Burnley
John Rowe : 1.6% (-20.3)
East Goscote ward, Charnwood
Cathy Duffy : 36.0% (-6.3)
CON GAIN FROM BNP
Chaddesden ward, Derby
Paul Hilliard : 1.6% (-2.4)
Irthlingborough Waterloo ward, East Northamptonshire
Marc Whitestone : 9.4% (+9.4)
Moston ward, Manchester
Gareth Black : 1.0% (-3.2)
Vivary Bridge ward, Pendle
John Rowe : 6.8% (-4.6)
Barton ward, Salford
Wayne Tomlinson : 5.9% (+5.9)
Irwell Riverside ward, Salford
Carl Lawson : 1.0% (-2.4)
Bedwardine ward, Worcester
Jennifer Whitwam : 0.5% (-1.0)
Cathedral ward, Worcester
Andrew North : 0.4% (-0.4)
Nunnery ward, Worcester
Carl Mason : 1.0% (-12.0)
St John ward, Worcester
Alan Draper : 0.4% (-1.2)
National Front
Todmorden ward, Calderdale
Chris Jackson : 2.5% (+2.5)
Howdon ward, North Tyneside
Bob Batten : 2.4% (+2.4)
British Voice
Bentilee & Ubberley ward, Stoke
David Leese : 2.8% (+2.8)
English Democrats
Central ward, Barnsley
Colin Porter : 11.2%
Darfield ward, Barnsley
David Burnett : 4.1%
Darton East ward, Barnsley
Sharon Sutton : 7.2%
Darton West ward, Barnsley
Ian Sutton : 16.3%
Hoyland Milton ward, Barnsley
Justin Saxton : 1.9%
Rockingham ward, Barnsley
Kevin Riddiough : 3.8%
St Helen’s ward, Barnsley
Dean Walker : 11.2%
Besses ward, Bury
Stephen Morris : 1.1%
Bentley ward, Doncaster
Keith Hewitt : 7.5%
Bessacarr ward, Doncaster
Barbara Hewitt : 4.2%
Conisbrough ward, Doncaster
John Brennan : 5.2%
Dewsbury South ward, Kirklees
Shaun Maddox : 10.0%
Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields ward, Leicester
Oliver Healey : 3.5%
Thurncourt ward, Leicester
David Haslett : 1.1%
Knotty Ash ward, Liverpool
Derek Grue : 0.2%
Princes Park ward, Liverpool
Steven Greenhalgh : 0.3%
Riverside ward, Liverpool
Michael Lane : 1.5%
St Michaels ward, Liverpool
Paul Rimmer : 0.1%
Warbreck ward, Liverpool
Steven McEllenborough : 0.4%
Stanground Central ward, Peterborough
Nick Capp : 6.2%
Blakenall ward, Walsall
Chris Newey : 1.0%
Patriotic Socialist
Nechells ward, Birmingham
John McAuliffe : 1.0%
Marfleet ward, Hull
Ben Hutchinson
Heckmondwike ward, Kirklees
Karl Varley : 0.1%
Kintbury ward, West Berkshire
Andrew Stott : 1.6%