New Britain Party
New Britain | |
|---|---|
| President | George Brooker |
| Chairman | Dennis Delderfield |
| Vice-president | John Haynes |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Dissolved | 2008 |
| Headquarters | 10 College East, Gunthorpe Street, London E1 7RL |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Right-wing |
| Website | |
| www.newbritain.org.uk | |
New Britain was a minor British right-wing political party founded by Dennis Delderfield in 1976.[1] The party was de-registered in November 2008.[2]
Founding
It was led from its creation by Dennis Delderfield, a former Common Councilman of the City of London[1] and editor of the City of London & Dockland Times.[3] In 1980, the party absorbed the anti-immigration United Country Party,[1] which had been chaired by TV astronomer Patrick Moore.[4] Around this time it also absorbed a small anti-devolution group called the Keep Britain United Party.[1] This party had contested a single seat (Carmarthen) in the 1979 general election.[5][6]
Positions
New Britain was described as an "avowedly racist party" by The Observer.[7] It campaigned for the return of capital punishment, and was supported by the Christian Affirmation Campaign, a right-wing traditionalist movement[8] opposed to what it saw as the World Council of Churches' support for Communist regimes in Africa.[1] Delderfield signed a letter in 2000 that argued that "suburb after suburb and town after town across the land have been taken over by Asians, Africans and Afro-Caribbeans.... In the not too distant future they will have direct control in many areas."[7][9]
Electoral history
The party became active participants in by-elections, contesting those held in City of London and Westminster, Beaconsfield, Penrith and the Border and Bermondsey,[10] as well as putting up two candidates in the general elections of 1979 and 1983. Its best performance was at the Bournemouth East by-election of November 1977, but the party's candidate in the Ilford North by-election of March 1978 was revealed to be a convicted child abuser after nominations had closed, and his endorsement was withdrawn.[1]
In the 1994 European Parliament election, the last to be held under first-past-the-post, it achieved moderate success, saving its deposit in one seat and nearly doing so in another.[1]
In the 2010 general election, standing as an independent candidate in the Cities of London and Westminster Parliamentary constituency, from the contact address listed on the New Britain website.[11]
Membership
Some former members later joined the United Kingdom Independence Party, including Mike Nattrass, later a Member of the European Parliament for UKIP, who stood as New Britain candidate in the Dudley West by-election of 1994, gaining 146 votes. His fellow UKIP MEP Jeffrey Titford was also a briefly a member after the Referendum Party folded.[12][13] Another UKIP candidate, Brian Smalley, joined in 1994 and was a member of the national committee.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Boothroyd, David, Politicos Guide to the History of British Political Parties (2001), p. 207.
- ^ List of renamed or deregistered parties since 2002 Archived 6 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Electoral Commission
- ^ "City of London & Dockland Times". Media UK. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
- ^ Verkaik, Robert (8 May 2007). "Moore joins ranks of grumpy old men with claim that BBC 'is run by women'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
- ^ UK General Election, May 1979: Party Vote and Lost deposits
- ^ "UK General Election results May 1979". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ a b Rayner, Jay (21 May 2000). "Far Right invades anti-Europe party". The Observer. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
- ^ "Catholic Herald - Archives".
- ^ Sullivan, Martin (2004). "Brownshirts in Blazers? The Rise of UKIP". What Next. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
- ^ Tatchell, Peter (1983). The battle for Bermondsey. Heretic Books. ISBN 0-946097-11-9.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "The true face of a party which wants us out of Europe (Or 10 things the UKIP don't want you to know about them)". The Independent. 3 August 2012. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ Daniel, Mark (2005). Cranks and gadflies: the story of UKIP. Timewell Press. ISBN 1-85725-209-8.
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