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Nick Griffin 'steps aside as BNP leader' Nick Griffin 'steps aside as BNP leader'
(about 1 hour later)
Nick Griffin has stepped down as leader of the BNP, its website has reported.Nick Griffin has stepped down as leader of the BNP, its website has reported.
It said Mr Griffin had been replaced as acting chairman by Adam Walker following a meeting of the party's national executive committee.It said Mr Griffin had been replaced as acting chairman by Adam Walker following a meeting of the party's national executive committee.
Mr Griffin, who will take the new role of party president, lost his seat in the European Parliament in May.Mr Griffin, who will take the new role of party president, lost his seat in the European Parliament in May.
The party has suffered a string of electoral setbacks in recent years, getting just over 1% of the vote in May's European elections.The party has suffered a string of electoral setbacks in recent years, getting just over 1% of the vote in May's European elections.
The BNP has also lost the majority of its local council seats in England.The BNP has also lost the majority of its local council seats in England.
Mr Griffin has been the public face of the BNP for more than a decade. The party won more than 6% of the vote in 2009's European elections but has seen its fortunes decline since then. Mr Griffin has been the public face of the BNP for more than a decade, during which time the party increased its popular support despite being dogged by allegations of racism, which it has always rejected.
Mr Griffin, who was declared bankrupt earlier this year, failed to secure re-election as MEP for the North West of England. Under his leadership, the party's vote in European elections had increased from 1.1% in 1999 to 3.9% in 2004 and 6.2% in 2009, when Mr Griffin was himself elected as an MEP.
The BNP published a statement on its website announcing the change at the top. 'United'
"Recently appointed deputy chairman, Adam Walker, has accepted the role of acting chairman of the British National Party after Nick Griffin stepped aside at a meeting of the BNP National Executive held on 19 July. In 2009, Mr Griffin was invited to appear on Question Time, the BBC's flagship political discussion show, a decision which led to widespread demonstrations at the time.
In recent years, the party's fortunes have declined steeply amid internal fighting.
Andrew Brons, the BNP's other representative in the European Parliament, quit the party in 2012 to become an independent, while Mr Griffin was challenged for his position last year.
Mr Griffin, who was declared bankrupt earlier this year, failed to secure re-election as MEP for the North West of England in May as the party lost its deposit in all the UK's electoral regions in which it fielded candidates.
The BNP blamed its poor performance on the rise of UKIP, which it said had become the party of choice for protest votes about Europe and immigration.
On Monday, the BNP published a statement on its website announcing the change at the top.
"Recently appointed deputy chairman, Adam Walker, has accepted the role of acting chairman of the British National Party after Nick Griffin stepped aside at a meeting of the BNP National Executive, held on 19 July.
"The full national executive are united in their support for Adam in this role. Nick Griffin has taken up the position of president.""The full national executive are united in their support for Adam in this role. Nick Griffin has taken up the position of president."