BNP and BBC election broadcasts

The Daily Mirror reports on the implosion of the British National Party’s electoral fortunes as it faces the prospect of being denied airtime for party political broadcasts during the upcoming election.

According to rules applied by the BBC, a political party is required to field a minimum of 89 candidates to qualify for party political broadcasts on the public service broadcaster during general elections.

With the heavy loss in party membership, it is not likely the BNP will meet the requirement.

This contrasts sharply with the party’s buoyant mood in 2010, a year after it won 2 seats in the 2009 European parliament elections, when it presented a manifesto replete with anti-Muslim tendencies.

In the European Parliament elections last year, the BNP prepared an election broadcast which featured heavily anti-Muslim themes which had be to expunged before the broadcast could be permitted to go ahead.