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Simon Darby
Simon Darby at the BNP manifesto launch 23 April 2010
Deputy chairman of the
British National Party
In office
2007 – 1 July 2010
LeaderNick Griffin
Preceded byScott McLean
Succeeded byAdam Walker
Councillor
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Castle & Priory Ward
In office
1 May 2003 – 10 June 2004
Preceded byHall, Peter Robert
Succeeded byFinch, Joseph Alan
Majority173 (7%)
Personal details
Born (1964-11-08) 8 November 1964 (age 60)
West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England
Political partyBritish National Party

Simon Darby (born 8 November 1964) is a British politician and former deputy chairman of the British National Party.[1]

Background

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By occupation a communications consultant, Darby began his political career in the National Democrats,[2] most of whose activity was centred on his West Midlands base. Darby joined the BNP when his local National Democrat group defected to the party en bloc. He soon became associated with the modernising wing of the party led by Nick Griffin. He was appointed local organiser following Griffin's election as leader, and was courted for membership by the Freedom Party on its foundation, although he refused to leave the BNP.[3]

Darby's involvement in local politics led to him being elected to Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council in 2003.[4] He lost the seat in a round of elections the following year. Despite this loss, Darby remained one of the leading figures in the BNP, to the extent that Griffin, who in 2005-06 faced jail before being cleared of inciting racial hatred, designated Darby as party leader should he have been imprisoned.[5]

Darby stood in the 2007 Welsh National Assembly Elections in the North Wales region but was not elected.[6]

Later party career

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Newspaper reports identify Darby as the BNP's deputy leader in 2007.[7] He became a personal assistant to Richard Barnbrook following the latter's election as the BNP's representative on the Greater London Authority in May 2008.[8] In this capacity, in November 2008 Darby faced criticism after admitting carrying out BNP party political work from his office as Barnbrook's assistant at City Hall. Darby denied that he used GLA resources and said that he always made up any office hours spent on party activities.[9] Darby is now the national press officer for the BNP.

In 2009, Darby was criticised after pictures showed a member of an Italian political rally giving a Fascist style salute while Darby spoke on stage.[10] When asked about the incident, Darby responded, "I can't do anything about that. There were 500 people and three of them were caught doing that stupid behaviour."[11] In May the same year, he clashed with Archbishop Dr John Sentamu who had condemned the BNP for labelling British citizens of African and Asian descent as "racial foreigners". Defending his comments, Darby insisted, "If I went there and preached down to those indigenous people in the same way that Sentamu does to us then I'd be attacked. If I was derogatory, condescending and arrogant - because that's what John Sentamu is - I would be attacked. And rightly so."[12]

On 1 July 2010, Darby resigned his role as deputy chairman citing impartiality regarding the then forthcoming 2010 BNP leadership election challenge, writing on his blog, "I didn't really want to be drawn into the leadership question, however, it seems the inevitable has happened, with adversaries of Nick Griffin raising the issue of the position of Deputy Leader in general, and referring to me in particular. As you know, the position carries absolutely no constitutional weight, and I feel it totally unfair and underhand, in a potential contest that involves solely the leader of the party, that some are seeking to confuse matters by bringing up the position of Deputy."[13] He continues to play a leading role as the party spokesman.[14]

Personal life

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A keen angler and ornithologist, Darby has a BSc (Hons) in biology and chemistry.[15]

Elections contested

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UK Parliament elections

Date of election Constituency Party Votes %
1997 Dudley North NDs 469 1.0
2001 Dudley North BNP 1,822 4.7
2005 Dudley North BNP 4,022 9.7
2010 Stoke-on-Trent Central BNP 2,502 7.7

Welsh Assembly elections (Additional members region; party list)

Date of election Region Party Votes Percentage of votes Result
2007 Welsh Assembly election North Wales BNP 9,986 5.1 Not elected

European Parliament elections

Date of election Constituency Party Votes % Notes
1996 Merseyside West NDs 718 1.2 Single member constituencies
Year Region Party Votes % Results Notes
1999 West Midlands BNP 14,344 1.7 Not elected Multi member constituencies; party list
2004 West Midlands BNP 107,794 7.5 Not elected Multi member constituencies; party list
2009 West Midlands BNP 121,967 8.6 Not elected Multi member constituencies; party list
2014 North West England BNP 32,826 1.9 Not elected Multi member constituencies; party list

References

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  1. ^ "Simon Darby Biography". BNP. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
  2. ^ Taylor, Matthew (25 November 2006). "BNP tries to polish image at Blackpool". The Guardian.
  3. ^ N. Copsey, Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, p. 121
  4. ^ Muir, Hugh (16 September 2003). "Where their influence is spreading". The Guardian.
  5. ^ Temko, Ned (23 April 2006). "BNP targets the heart of England". The Guardian.
  6. ^ Withers, Matt (28 September 2008). "A burning question of Tory faults". Wales on Sunday.
  7. ^ "The man behind a BNP bid for power". Birmingham Post. 18 April 2007.
  8. ^ Hamilton, Fiona (3 May 2008). "BNP celebrate after winning London Assembly seat". The Times. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008.
  9. ^ Swaine, Jon (20 November 2008). "BNP deputy leader works from London City Hall office". The Daily Telegraph.
  10. ^ Waterfield, Bruno (15 May 2009). "BNP could be at heart of far right EU group". The Daily Telegraph.
  11. ^ Paul Waugh (14 April 2009). "BNP City Hall official meets neo-fascists at Euro summit". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009.
  12. ^ Gledhill, Ruth (5 May 2009). "BNP deputy slur on Sentamu". Times Online.
    - Adam Bienkov (12 June 2009). "BNP Deputy Simon Darby suspended from City Hall". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  13. ^ Darby, Simon (1 July 2010). "No more brothers wars please". Simon Darby Blogspot. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011.
  14. ^ ""Simon Darby: BNP immigration message and rise of UKIP". BBC News. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  15. ^ "Office and Staffing". Andrew Brons. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
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