Defeated BNP claims moral victory in poll (From The Northern Echo)

Defeated BNP claims moral victory in poll

7:35am Saturday 13th December 2008

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THE British National Party (BNP) last night claimed a moral victory despite losing a town council by-election by two votes.

After four recounts, Mark Walker admitted defeat to Labour, who won both available seats on Shildon Town Council, early yesterday.

However, Mr Walker said last night that opponents resorted to slurs, costing him at least two votes and the BNP’s first North-East win.

The 27-year-old, from Spennymoor, said: “The result showed the BNP as Labour’s only opposition in County Durham establishing the party firmly on the political map.

“I am disappointed, but it is a tremendous result for me to stand in a town that I am not even from and come this close.

“It just goes to show how far the party has come and it makes me want to work even harder.

“All we are trying to do is improve our local community and make the country a better place.”

The seats were won by Henry Nicholson, who polled 253 votes, and Theda Mary Bannister, with 240 votes, just ahead of Mr Walker’s 239.

Mr Walker, who was sacked from Sunnydale Comprehensive School, Shildon, hoped his standing in the community would carry him to victory.

Supporters said he was first suspended for looking at By Chris Fay chris.fay@nne.co.uk right-wing material online during lesson time, but defended him as an otherwise impartial and professional teacher.

An inquiry by the NSPCC, however, uncovered emails indicating a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old former pupil and concluded his behaviour “compromised his suitability to continue working as a person in a position of trust with young people”.

Councillor Nicholson, 61, from Shildon, said the election result was not representative of the BNP’s popularity in the region. He said: “I think a lot of people were voting for Mr Walker rather than the BNP.

“He got the sympathy vote following the publicity around losing his job, but the vast majority of people we encountered do not want to see the BNP in.

“The BNP make a lot of promises that are not even in a town council’s remit, but underneath all the dogma they are an extreme right-wing party and the vast majority of good Shildon people can see that.”

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