Shock Funding of BNP by UKIP

Who really pulls the financial strings at the BNP?


Dr Alan Sked, UKIP’s founder leader, 1993-97 has said: “They [UKIP] are racist and have been infected by the far right”
(The People, 6 June 2004).

Nigel Farage (UKIP MEP since 1999, leader of the UKIP group of MEPs in the European Parliament since 2004; former UKIP Chairman, 1998-2000 and cofounder UKIP) told former UKIP leader Dr Alan Sked “We will never win the nigger vote. The nig-nogs will never vote for us”, according to Dr Sked.
(The Mail on Sunday, 6 June 2004).

Dr Alan Sked (founder leader of UKIP, 1993-97) has told us that when it comes to immigration policy, “UKIP is even less liberal than the BNP. Certainly, there is a symbiosis between elements of the parties”
(The Sunday Telegraph, 30 May 2004).

In 2000, the European Parliament ordered UKIP to repay £11,500 of expenses. The party had diverted surplus travel expenses to fund the failed court cases of the ‘metric martyrs’, market traders who were taken to court for refusing to display metric measurements alongside imperial ones when selling their wares. Nigel Farage MEP has since repeated UKIP’s intention to use parliamentary expenses “to further the objectives of UKIP back in Britain”.
(Guardian, 24 June 2004).


In the first Quarter of 2009, the BNP declared £21,132.00 in four cash Donations. £9,060, £5,000 and £1,000 from former UKIP Adam Champneys. £6,072 from Shiela Butler. There were an additional £4,010 of disallowed donations. (Electoral Commission Quarterly Returns)

Which all comes fairly close to the latest BNP magic number of £20,000. Much bandied about in "Les Barnes Writs". The amount of cash is, arguably, not huge given the potential for expense claims in politics. That amount of money would, for a minor party, represent a significant amount of finance. A large amount of money, all arising from Mister Champneys suggests that he pulls the strings. Not only that Griffin is his poodle but that without Champneys, financial disgrace and failure await Nick Griffin.

The UKIP makes no secret about claiming excessive expenses. Nigel Farage being alleged, by the BNP, to have taken two million pounds in expenses. The BNP Website quotes the BBC 2 Daily Politics Show. Mr Macshane was defending his own expenses claims and said," “I was with Nigel Farage of UKIP yesterday afternoon debating and he said quite cheerfully - you know what Nigel is like - I have got two million pounds in expenses from the European Parliament,” During a debate about Europe at the Foreign Press Association - which was discreetly taped by the hosts - Farage was asked by former Europe minister Denis MacShane what he had received in non-salary expenses and allowances since becoming an MEP in 1999. This is the source of the two million in expenses.

"A close friend of Mr Farage says the Ukip leader uses his expenses to fund the party, but does not abuse them personally. "I know he has remortgaged his house – that's how short of money he is," said the friend."
(Telegraph 26 May 2009)

Makes you wonder What the UKIP spend their expenses on and why have the BNP and UKIP fallen out so comprehensively. Maybe its a battle of bonehead databases: UKIP leader Nigel Farage MEP has poured scorn on BNP complaints about its membership lists being made public.

Mr Farage has stated that The BNP used parts of the UKIP database which they managed to obtain to contact UKIP members directly. There is an outstanding complaint with the Information Commissioners Office - as that would be an offence.

Perhaps the BNP-UKIP friction is nervousness on the part of the Leaders: Farage insisted, at the Foreign Press Association, that he had not "pocketed" the expenses money but had used the "very large sum of European taxpayers' money" to help promote UKIPs message that the UK should get out of the EU. Farage is unapologetic, being "entirely happy that the money had been used for the best of causes."


That said, there are some sour words on the UKIP website. "It says it all about the BNP that so many of those on their database seem to be worried about being revealed as members. Who would join a party where membership is a social and professional embarrassment? How ironic is it that the BNP leaders are bleating about their position under the Human Rights Act, something they claim they want to abolish."

So where is ther real power struggle in the BNP? Who is actually selling out the rank and file membership? Not just the databases.

Nigel Farage MEP has admits meeting Dr Mark Deavin (the BNP’s then head of research who had briefly infiltrated UKIP as Research Director and NEC member to pass on information about its work to the BNP until being expelled from UKIP in May 1997) over lunch on 17 June 1997 at the latter’s request, to discuss his defection from UKIP to the BNP.
(The Times, 5 June 1999)

Andrew Edwards (former Chairman, UKIP Bath branch, 2002-2003) was expelled from UKIP on 5 February 2004 for allegedly passing information to the BNP. He denies this and has since campaigned to expose links between UKIP and the BNP. He has stated: “In collaboration with other UKIP members and ex-members, [I
have] uncovered information which we believe suggests a pact between the BNP and UKIP. The BNP has now admitted that there was indeed, an unofficial pact between them and UKIP”.
(Bath Chronicle, 14 February 2004).

John Brayshaw was exposed on 5 February 2004 as being simultaneously Chairman of UKIP’s Vale of York branch (since October 2003) and BNP National Treasurer (since 2000). According to Andrew Edwards, he was also UKIP-BNP “pact liaison officer for the north”. UKIP denied that they knew of his BNP links despite the fact that he stood as a BNP parliamentary candidate in Bradford North at the 2001 general election. Brayshaw was eventually expelled from UKIP in 2004 when his
BNP membership became public knowledge.
(Bath Chronicle, 14 February 2004).

It is easy to quote mine. These are all events some time ago. But, significantly, they all point to the UKIP being instrumental in the BNP "rise". The BNP is the undeniable fallout from the National Front, Combat 18 and all the other petty fascist organisations of the last century. The UKIP portrays itself as the reasonable "eurosceptical" party. Yet, it seems former members are happy to bankroll the BNP. Why would that be? Given the political Heritage of right wing Conservatives, the Monday Club and so on there is no need to go far. The intellectual groundwork for the UKIP was laid down in the 1980s and 1990s when there was much talk of the Militant Tendency and "parties within parties". Maybe the idea struck fertile ground: have a tame fascist party dancing for the real fascists.

Farage was photographed in June 1997 chatting to the BNP’s Tony ‘The Bomber’ Lecomber (who has served two prison sentences: he was jailed for three years in 1985 for possession of explosives, and for three years in 1991 for stabbing a Jewish schoolteacher).
(Guardian, 13 October 1999).

Could it be the threat is not just from the BNP.

The two parties will hardly be going head to head in the coming election. Ukip is fielding 567 candidates in the council elections on June 4, the BNP 457. The BNP has no UKIP challenge in 80 per cent of the seats it is contesting. The Ukip has no BNP challenge in 85 per cent of the seats it is contesting. This could be a coincidence - the Monster Raving Loonie Party appears to be avoiding Labour. But, like the sniff of expenses, there is more to the story. Farage has offered to resign if UKIP gets less than ten seats. As former UKIP Members appear to be bankrolling the Griffin Pension Plan - could it be that the UKIP is finding a new home? Or, could it be one of the more successful business ventures by Mister Griffin: get UKIP to buy the farm.

The distribution of seats where UKIP and BNP do not compete would seem to be those where they have no hope of winning anything. Tokens to differentiate their brand images: blazers and boots. The pattern would also maximise the chance of the BNP being voted for in constituencies where UKIP fields nobody. The fantasy behind the apparent collusion seem to suggest that the BNP and UKIP see themselves replacing Labour and the Tories. With access to Two million in expenses, there really is no telling how much damage to the country mister Griffin could do.