BBC reviews BNP appearance after wave of complaints

THE DECISION by the BBC to invite British National Party leader Nick Griffin to appear on its flagship Question Time programme…

THE DECISION by the BBC to invite British National Party leader Nick Griffin to appear on its flagship Question Timeprogramme tomorrow is to be reviewed by the broadcaster's top body, following a wave of complaints.

Meanwhile, the far-right party has rounded on former British army generals, who published an open letter yesterday warning that “the good name” of the army was in danger of being “hijacked” by extremists.

In the letter, the generals said the values of the BNP, “many of whom are essentially racist – are fundamentally at odds with the values of the modern British military, such as tolerance and fairness”.

The letter was signed by Gen Sir Mike Jackson and Gen Sir Richard Dannatt, former heads of the army, Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, the former chief of the defence staff, and Maj Gen Patrick Cordingley, commander of the Desert Rats in the Gulf War.

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However, Mr Griffin rounded on the group last night, saying “those Tory generals” should remember that Nazi Party senior figures and their generals were “all charged – and hanged – together” for fighting aggressive wars. “Sir Richard and Sir Mike fall squarely into this bracket, and they must not think that they will escape culpability for pursuing the illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“These two gentlemen are Tories who have seen the traditional Conservative vote in the army, from private level up to senior officers, dissolve away and turn into BNP votes,” the BNP leader said.

The decision of the BNP leader to wear a poppy on public occasions, despite calls on him by the British Legion not to, and the party’s contested claim that it has raised money for Iraq and Afghan veterans, have infuriated serving and former soldiers.

The BNP has also refused to take down images of Sir Winston Churchill and the Spitfire fighter aircraft from its website, which were both used during its successful European Parliament election campaign under the title of “The Battle for Britain”.

Claiming that the BNP is now “the party of the British squaddie”, Mr Griffin yesterday said: “The Spitfire represents the British fighting spirit against Continental totalitarianism.

“Winston Churchill’s comments on Islam, the European Union and unrestricted Third World immigration are the same as BNP policy, and he would have been expelled from today’s Tories for those views.”

Meanwhile, the BBC Trust – the BBC’s governing body – is to review the invitation issued by BBC’s Question Time to Mr Griffin to appear on its programme tomorrow night.

Former apartheid campaigner and secretary of state for Wales, Peter Hain, has urged the BBC to withdraw the invitation on the grounds that the BNP is not “a lawful body” because it excludes non-whites.

Last week, the party agreed to change its constitution to accept non-white members after it was taken to court by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission, but it has not yet done so.

Meanwhile, the BNP has said that a list posted on the internet yesterday claiming to be its membership roll is a forgery.

The list, the second to be posted in recent months, contains up to 60 names from Northern Ireland.