Although kept out of representative politics by "first-past-the-post" elections, British ultranationalists have been gaining ground in certain deprived areas with high immigrant populations.
With its tough line on crime and anti-immigration policies, the British National Party (BNP) proved attractive to some voters in May's local elections. The BNP won three council seats in the northern town of Burnley - the scene of riots fuelled by racial tension in summer 2001.
Overall, the BNP averaged 18% in the 19 results contested nationwide - the far-right's best showing since the late-1970s.
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