The British National Party has been reported to the Electoral Commission and the police over possible financial irregularities. Labour MP Jon Cruddas (right) used an adjournment debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday to make a number of charges regarding alleged illegal activity and financial irregularities in the internal operations of the BNP.
Speaking in the debate, Cruddas said
“Last week I wrote to the police to request an investigation into claims of illegal spying within the BNP,” he told the Commons. “Today I have been given a 20 page dossier entitled ‘Financial Irregularities in the British National Party: An Investigation by Searchlight Information Services’ which I am in turn sending to both the police and the Electoral Commission.”
He went on to outline a list of serious allegations against the BNP including the following:
■ the BNP’s 2006 accounts have still not been submitted to the Electoral Commission, more than five months (so far) after the due date;
■ the BNP failed to report a donation of £5,315 in the period 1 July 2007 to 30 September 2007 in contravention of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendum Act 2000;
■ BNP financial records were shredded at the home of the party’s former national treasurer in 2004;
■ the BNP has solicited donations from overseas to an organisation by the name of Civil Liberty, which Searchlight considers is merely a front organisation set up to circumvent the prohibition on donations to political parties from individuals who are not registered to vote in the UK;
■ the BNP attempted to earn insurance commission by means of an insurance entity that was not authorised by the Financial Services Authority and there were serious doubts whether the activity was exempt from the requirement for authorisation:
■ there is evidence that the BNP financed its insolvent position in 2006 by a failure to pay sums owed to HM Revenue and Customs in respect of Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and value added tax (VAT);
■ there are allegations that the BNP has paid workers in cash to avoid tax and national insurance contributions and to enable them to claim state benefits; and
■ the BNP claims to have spent at least £70,000 on printing equipment in 2005, but no such expenditure is shown in the accounts.
Cruddas also used his speech to reiterate his belief that the BNP leadership has acted illegally in the splits which have beset the party. He said that:
“the BNP have posted on their website a recording and transcript of a private conversation between the two people who were later sacked” and “it is the belief of the people concerned that their house, phone or computer has been bugged.”
He continued, “on Saturday 8 December members of BNP security, under instructions of BNP leader Nick Griffin, entered the house of Sadie Graham in the East Midlands by deception. Property belonging to Sadie Graham, including her personal computer bought for her by her father, was removed without consent. This is nothing less than burglary.”
Cruddas went on to say that this computer was later examined by the BNP, emails opened and read and the contents then posted on the Internet, which he insisted was a clear breach of the Data Protection Act. As the content of one email was referred to by Nick Griffin on the party website Cruddas concluded: “This clearly proves that the BNP leader has been privy to a criminal act.”
Cruddas ended by saying: “In conclusion what is being uncovered in the internal workings of the British National Party appears to be illegal in terms of data protection, bugging, theft and the operation of the Political Parties, Elections and referendums Act 2000.
“This is not the behaviour of a mature political party and I would like to see the police and the electoral commission investigate these charges.
“The fact that this is being orchestrated by the leader of a political party is most shocking. The BNP leadership and Nick Griffin in particular, are showing us its true colours.”
You can watch the speech below.
