BNP gains first seat on London Assembly » Local Government » 24dash.com

The British National Party (BNP) gained its first seat on the London Assembly today.

The far-right party passed the 5% voter threshold ensuring that it took up a position at City Hall.

But the win for Richard Barnbrook was attacked as a victory for "hatred, violence and stupidity" by opponents.

BNP spokesman Simon Darby said: "I feel absolutely ecstatic. "We've witnessed the first major politician elected not for telling lies but for telling the truth."

Aside from choosing a new mayor, London voters had also been choosing the 25-member London Assembly, with 14 members elected directly from constituencies, each made up of two London boroughs, and the remaining 11 divided between the parties in proportion to London-wide votes.

Mr Barnbrook, leader of the BNP group on Barking and Dagenham Council, also ran as the party's mayoral candidate.

His campaign tried to attract what he called "real Londoners" and attacked asylum seekers and illegal immigrants for "engulfing London".

His election website promised "Enough is enough, I will make sure that the people who have paid into the system are housed before immigrants - it's only fair."

Earlier in the campaign the main candidates in the mayoral elections united to urge voters not to vote BNP.

Campaign group Hope Not Hate launched a huge operation across the capital to dissuade Londoners from voting for the BNP.

Gerry Gable from the group said: "A BNP victory means hatred, violence and stupidity.

"Richard Barnbrook being returned I think is a disaster for the BNP because the guy is inept, his track record had been dreadful. "On his own he will sink without a trace."

He added: "We've run the biggest anti-fascist campaign ever."

But Mr Darby said the party had been very pleased with voting in the local elections.

He said: "I think it has gone very well - we've made a total of 10 net gains across the country.

"It's very difficult for us to win seats, we not only have to take on all the political parties, but sometimes the Church, the trade union movement and a lot of the media."

He said he "couldn't care less" if political opponents felt uncomfortable about BNP gains.

He said: "We will do what the British people want.

"If they [other political parties] try to intimidate us, then they are picking on the wrong people."