BNP’s last remaining elected councillor says he will now vote Labour

Brian Parker, who is stepping down after 12 years on Pendle Borough Council, said he respected Jeremy Corbyn for not being a ‘warmonger’ like Theresa May

The BNP’s last remaining elected official has announced he will vote for Labour in the upcoming local elections.

Brian Parker, who is stepping down after 12 years on Pendle Borough Council, said he respected Jeremy Corbyn for not being a ‘warmonger’ like Theresa May.

In a letter to voters, he lavished praise on the leadership of the local Labour Party who he said had been ‘grown up enough’ to work with him, unlike the Tories who ‘refused even to speak to me’.

He wrote: ‘It’s not my place to tell you how to vote but as your councillor I never had any cooperation from the Conservative Party in Pendle.’

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Parker added: ‘The Conservatives have been quite hostile and have never cooperated in any way.

‘They are more politically correct than Labour and the Liberal party.

‘I have got to hand it to Jeremy Corbyn, he is not a warmonger.

‘I class May, Cameron and Blair as murderers, whereas you cannot say that to Corbyn. He is against interfering in other countries’ affairs, which is BNP policy.’

Mr Parker blamed Labour’s anti-Semitism problem on the number of Muslims in the party. He said: ‘Labour, whether you like or not, has got a large Muslim following who are very anti-Semite.

‘I think the Muslims – you cannot say this of all Muslims – do have an intense loathing of Jews.’

Mr Parker said the Labour leader (pictured in London yesterday) had the same policy on not taking part in foreign wars as the BNP 

Mr Parker said the Labour leader (pictured in London yesterday) had the same policy on not taking part in foreign wars as the BNP 

When Mr Parker stands down next Thursday the BNP will no longer have any borough or country councillors anywhere in the country. Former party leader Nick Griffin lost his seat as an MEP in the European Parliament in 2014.

Andrew Stephenson, the Tory MP for Pendle, said: ‘It is fantastic that the British National Party is no longer alive as a political force in Pendle, Lancashire or the United Kingdom.’

Andrew Stephenson, the Tory MP for Pendle, said it was 'fantastic' the BNP was losing its last councillor 

Andrew Stephenson, the Tory MP for Pendle, said it was ‘fantastic’ the BNP was losing its last councillor 

Meanwhile, a Labour parliamentary candidate has been forced to apologise after it was revealed that she had previously joked about wanting to ‘beat up’ Prince William.

Tara-Mary Lyons, who has been selected to stand for the party in Welwyn Hatfield, has posted dozens of offensive messages on Twitter laden with swear words.

In one post, she wrote: ‘I’m in the mood to beat up Prince William.’

The candidate, who is currently a local councillor, told the Welwyn Hatfield Times: ‘I apologise for the language and aggression suggested in the tweets.

‘They are inappropriate, unbecoming of a parliamentary candidate, and not representative of who I am.’

Former Tory minister Grant Shapps held the seat in last year’s general election with a majority of 7,369.

 



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