THE British National Party is stronger than ever according to Labour's deputy leader.
The right-wing group finished second in a Moston by-election and Harriet Harman has claimed they could pose a major threat in the June European elections.
She revealed that plans are in place to counter the BNP as Labour wages a campaign to prevent them from winning their first seats in the European Parliament.
"It is a worry," she said. "Certainly they (the BNP) are a bigger threat than they have been before."
In the by-election the BNP snatched second place with 815 votes, ahead of the Lib Dems with 696 and the Conservatives with 558. Labour retained the ward with 1,353 votes.
The result comes as a blow to the Tories in what on paper had been their third best prospect of winning a seat on Manchester city council.
Ms Harman, on a campaign visit to the north west where BNP leader Nick Griffin is a candidate, said: "The party is focused on the BNP in a way it hasn't been previously."
In areas where there is BNP activity Labour is using the slogan 'fairness not fear' instead of its national banner 'winning the fight for Britain's future'. It is also teaming up with anti-fascist groups and sending in anti-BNP "battlebuses".
Ms Harman added: "Most people are not aware the BNP is standing.
"It is below the radar. There is very low public awareness of these elections. For us, it is a question of pointing out the dangers of the BNP, which now wears suits but whose ideology is as pernicious as ever."
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BNP stronger than ever
April 11, 2009

Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
Guten Tag, 1 UK Civ Div, Manchester (10/04/2009 at 17:13)
Esso Blue, High Horse therapy treatment available, Real World Treatment, Manchester. (10/04/2009 at 17:19)
Angie33 , Manchester (10/04/2009 at 17:25)
From what Ive read and heard over a number of years he only joined because Tameside council wouldnt deal with his problems as a tenant.He had stood up to anti social behaviour and was treated like the enemy.I know that feeling having been there myself.
Dont blame the public.Please look at yourselves.The Labour party before its too late.
Donna. Harpurhey (10/04/2009 at 17:28)
Esso Blue, High Horse therapy treatment available, Real World Treatment, Manchester. (10/04/2009 at 17:38)
Come-On-City. Manchester. (10/04/2009 at 17:38)
GutenTag, why single out crimes commited by 'foreigners'? The rate which migrants commit crime is around the same as the British population commit crime. Stop reading the Daily Express, Daily Mail and The Sun and read some decent newspapers.
Ms B, Manchester (10/04/2009 at 17:56)
Ace Shakespeare , manchester (10/04/2009 at 18:04)
steak, Manchester (10/04/2009 at 18:10)
Esso Blue, High Horse therapy treatment available, Real World Treatment, Manchester. (10/04/2009 at 18:14)
markyboy, manchester (10/04/2009 at 18:31)
i will not be told who to vote for by a nulabour lickspittle or the churchmen telling us all to boycott the BNP.
whatever happened to free speech, thinking and democracy? oops soz thats not allowed under nulabour lies is it?
Princess_Pam, Crumpsall (10/04/2009 at 18:41)
R Purdy (10/04/2009 at 18:54)
The fact is, Labour have used mass immigration as a deliberate instrument of policy to depress wages and gerrymander our cities for their own narrow electoral advantage. Labour have adopted Fascist policies (surveillance, DNA an web-browsing databases, ID cards) even as they had the barefaced cheek to accuse others of being Fascists. They have treated longstanding residents and ordinary local people with contempt, and they will receive their come-uppance at the polls.
As for David Cameron's dreams of a great northern revival, well they died last night in the ballot boxes of Moston. Fourth place for the official opposition party in Britain's second city - what does that say about the mass appeal of Cameron's new out-of-touch, public school turquoise "conservatism"?
Esso Blue, High Horse therapy treatment available, Real World Treatment, Manchester. (10/04/2009 at 18:56)
red one (10/04/2009 at 18:59)
They have said they need these migrants to do the jobs that English people wont do, while jobs are being sent abroad i.e. call centres and such. This does not make sense and I think it is just another lie by a corrupt government that has the most despicable set of MPs that one can imagine. I will be voting for the BNP party that could not be as unpatriotic as this lot.
Guten Tag, 1 UK Civ Div, Manchester (10/04/2009 at 19:04)
Rick Jenks, Bury (10/04/2009 at 19:11)
Esso Blue, High Horse therapy treatment available, Real World Treatment, Manchester. (10/04/2009 at 19:13)
vinay, rochdale (10/04/2009 at 19:21)
Mike, Manchester (10/04/2009 at 19:33)
Ok, ok, they've got white skin, but you take my point, right?
PW, Manchester (10/04/2009 at 19:36)
Roll on 2010. It's either going to be the Conservatives or BNP in power. I want the reality-orientated Tories, as they will shake things up again and introduce the UK into the real world. That's the only real long-term answer.
Mark, South Manchester (10/04/2009 at 19:58)
And weren't we being told that the Hyde & Moston BNP candidates were actually going to win?? So well done to the people of Moston for rejecting the hatemongers and booting out the fascists.
BNP - 56 councillors in the WHOLE of Britain. About to take power - what a laugh!!
Black Flag (10/04/2009 at 20:01)
The BNP is a party for chavs and most of its target audience probably couldn't work out how to vote. They're an irrelevance and after the next election, the equally odious Labour party will hopefully be in the same boat.
spinlion, London (10/04/2009 at 20:04)
I suspect Rick Jenks' sentiments (19:11) vis-a-vis somali
pirates belie the true intentions of the BNP and its ever-
increasing band of wagon jumpers - POWER
Don't get me wrong, I ain't no Labourite, Conservative-shmite or Lib Dem doddler either - all are self-interested as each other, and guess what, the BNP are no different - just a bit more desperate, that's all.
Esso Blue, High Horse therapy treatment available, Real World Treatment, Manchester. (10/04/2009 at 20:10)