Voters turn away from BNP

The BNP was far from repeating their Burnley wins

The far-right British National Party has suffered a massive by-election defeat in the area where it won a council seat nine years ago.

BNP candidate Gordon Callow, who has stood in a number of previous elections, polled just 87 votes in the Blackwall and Cubbitt Town ward in Tower Hamlets, east London.

The electorate has dealt a massive blow to the BNP with their derisory votes

Brian Son
New Labour councillor

Labour candidate Brian Son won 686 votes, beating Conservative rival Timothy Archy by just 10 ballot papers.

The BNP's poor showing in the poll comes after the party won three seats in May's English local council elections in the wake of other far-right success elsewhere in Europe.

Those wins in Burnley were the BNP's first since Derek Beackon became a Tower Hamlets councillor in 1993 in the old Millwall ward, half of which is covered by the present Blackwall ward.

Victorious Mr Son said: "The electorate has dealt a massive blow to the BNP with their derisory votes.

Low turnout

"I hope that this ward and Tower Hamlets has seen the back of the BNP and their vile racist policies."

The by-election was prompted by the resignation of Labour councillor Lutfur Rahman Ali after the May polls after it was found his job prevented him from acting as a councillor.

Turnout was 24%, but the close call between the top two candidates forced a recount.