Archbishop's concern over BNP

The Archbishop of Wales Rowan Williams has expressed concern that the British National Party is fielding a candidate in Wales in the general election.

The far right party is putting up one candidate in Wales - Terry Cavill - who is stand in the multi-racial area of Newport West.

Archbishop Williams said he was "very disturbed" the BNP had decided to stand in Newport, particularly after the racist overtones of the attack in February of Indonesian seaman Jan Pasalbessy.

Archbishop Rown Williams :Concerned

A gang was jailed for the murder of the 48-year-old who was kicked to death outside the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport.

As nominations closed on Tuesday, it also emerged that the anti-abortion group the ProLife Alliance is to contest seven seats in Wales.

Minority party candidates totals :

UKIP - 25

Welsh Socialist Alliance - six

Pro-Life Alliance - seven

Green - six

Communist - one

BNP - one

Socialist Labour - six

Independents - six

Terry Cavill, a 46-year-old farmer from Monmouthshire, is the candidate for the BNP in the constituency of Newport West, which is a multi-ethnic area.

It is understood he will focus campaigning on the issue of asylum seekers as well as the steel losses announced by Corus for Llanwern.

BNP party leader Nick Griffin said: "We are not there to stir up trouble, we are there to give ordinary people in Newport democratic choice."

But Gwenda Bullock, of the Pride in Pill group, said she had been shocked by the news.

"We live well together in our multi-cultural community and I think with these people (the BNP) coming in, it will cause trouble."

Socialist Labour Party candidate Mary Millington

Five other candidates are contesting the seat, which was previously held by Labour's Paul West, who is standing again on June 7.

As well as the two other main party candidates, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) is also putting up a candidate, Hugh Moelwyn Hughes.

The UKIP - which launched its Welsh manifesto in Cardiff on Tuesday - is fielding 25 candidates in Wales out of 400 across the UK in the hope of assuming the mantle of principle defender of British sovereignty.

Welsh regional organiser James Carver said they are only party which offers an amicable withdrawal from the European Union.

Members are arguing that a referendum should be held on the subject.

UKIP's David Rowland

Its distinctive Welsh policy is for a referendum to be held on the future of the Welsh Assembly as a first stage to scrapping the body.

At the last election the so-called minority parties in Wales together polled 55,000 votes - their biggest share for 30 years.

The Green party supports more devolution for Wales - perhaps in the hope that it has more of an opportunity to gain elected representatives through the assembly's proportional representation electoral system than through Westminster's first-past-the-post.

Throughout the UK the Greens have three members in the European Parliament - one in the Scottish Parliament and three members in the Greater London Assembly - but have so far failed to make significant headway in Wales.

Wales Socialist Alliance - Richard Morse

A rejection of socialism in mainstream politics appears to be the driving force behind two other minor parties in Wales fielding candidates.

Arthur Scargill, the leader of the National Union of Mineworkers, launched his party's manifesto in Islwyn last week.

The Socialist Labour party promises that through cutting the government's defence budget by two thirds, leaving the EU and taking from the profits of privatised industries and banks, it will improve the lives of Wales's working class.

The Welsh Socialist Alliance is to contest six seats in Wales.

The party hopes to attract disaffected Labour voters who at the Welsh Assembly elections two years ago found a new home with Plaid Cymru.

Two candidates are standing under no party banner - one in Islwyn, the other in Montgomeryshire - and there is one Ratepayer in Aberavon.

An unusual candidate is the one who describes himself as the leader of Direct Customer Service Party in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire.

But the wackiest is undoubtedly charity fund-raiser Captain Beany - formerly Barry Kirk - who is standing for the New Millennium Bean Party in Aberavon.