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A Britain We All Call Home > Published by Shamik Das, March 26th 2010 at 11:33 am

BNP barrister booted out of Chambers

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A barrister standing as a BNP election candidate has been forced out of his chambers. Robert Grierson, the party’s candidate for Sutton Coldfield, was effectively sacked by St Philips chambers in Birmingham, who sought to distance themselves from him, insisting his racist views were his own and “not that of [the] chambers or any of its members”.

Robert-GriersonOn first hearing the news, head of Chambers James Burbridge QC had said:

“Mr Grierson’s political persuasions, his beliefs and his association with the British National Party were not known to Chambers when he applied for and was accepted for a door tenancy.

“As is well known across the Midlands and in the wider legal community, St Philips Chambers operate a strict non-discriminatory policy towards its members, staff, lay and professional clients and members of the public alike.”

In other BNP-related news, Lancaster UAF reports that the party’s number of councillors in Stoke-on-Trent has fallen from nine to seven, following the resignation of the BNP group leader and the refusal to sit with the party of another councillor, in protest it seems at the BNP’s opposition to “a suitable event each year to mark Holocaust Memorial Day”.

The Jewish Chronicle, meanwhile, reports the call by the National Union of Journalists, Bectu and campaign group “Expose the BNP” for local newspapers not to accept adverts from the BNP in the election campaign, “urging them to resist pressure from the BNP”. In January, Left Foot Forward revealed the BNP’s spending on advertising had risen more than 25,000 per cent to £83,932 having been only £333 five years before.

We also published a list of papers which had accepted money from the BNP during the 2009 European Elections, as disclosed in their Election Return Invoices to the Electoral Commission:

ESSEX NORTH WEST
   
Basildon Recorder Crewe Series
Braintree Weekly News Knutsford Guardian
Chelmsford Weekly News Leigh Journal
Clacton & Frinton Gazette Mid Cheshire Group
Colchester Weekly News Midweek Guardian
Echo Sale & Altrincham Messenger
Essex County Standard St Helens Star
Evening Gazette Stretford & Urmston Messenger
Halstead Gazette Warrington Guardian Series
Harwich & Manningtree Standard World Group
Maldon & Burnham Standard  
Southend Standard  
Thurrock Gazette  
Weekly News Brent & Bill  

And earlier this week, Left Foot Forward reported that the BNP was funding the election campaigns of their leading candidates using taxpayers’ money from the allowances handed out to MEPs Andrew Brons and leader Nick Griffin, following an investigation by Hope Not Hate.

  • http://twitter.com/rossannat/status/11084794887 Rossanna Trudgian

    RT @leftfootfwd: BNP barrister booted out of Chambers: http://bit.ly/cniPSh

  • http://twitter.com/james4chelt/status/11085072675 James Green

    RT @leftfootfwd: BNP barrister booted out of Chambers: http://bit.ly/cniPSh

  • Mr. Sensible

    Shamik, was this spending money from the EU?

  • http://twitter.com/tunismatthews/status/11094358933 David Matthews

    BNP barrister booted out of chambers: http://bit.ly/9AplkJ

  • Liz McShane

    Leading Orange Order member is also standing as a BNP candidate..:

    news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8588952.stm

  • Liz McShane

    Not sure if I added the link correctly…

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8588952.stm

    Orange Order ‘must distance itself from BNP candidate’
    Nick Baker
    Nick Baker is representing the BNP in the general election

    An assembly member has called on the Orange Order to distance itself from a member who is to stand as a BNP candidate in the general election.

    Nick Baker, a district master of the Orange Order in Devon, is to contest Torridge and West Devon for the far right party.

    The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has refused to comment on the issue.

    However, Alliance MLA Anna Lo said: “I really think they should distance themselves from Nick Baker.”

    Describing the BNP as a “xenophobic, bigoted party”, Ms Lo added “the Orange Order here should not want to have anything to do with his standing in this party”.

    “I certainly believe that they need to make it very clear that they have nothing to do with him and they don’t support his views, they don’t support him standing for the BNP for the next general election and the Orange Order here do not support racism,” she said.

    The order has said the issue was a matter for the Grand Lodge of England.

    Its grand master, Ron Bather, told the Irish News newspaper: “As an institution we try not to interfere with the political views of any of our members.

    “We’re not a far-right organisation. We have members from all over the world but ore members are entitled to stand for whatever political organisation they so wish.

    “It doesn’t mean that the institution supports those views in any way.”

    On its website, the BNP describes Mr Baker as “a family man who is deeply concerned over the implications of economic decline and growing national debt which will burden generations yet to come.

    “He is opposed to Britain’s participation in the Afghanistan conflict and will campaign for the immediate withdrawal of our forces from that country.”

  • Free The Snail

    Liz McShane you Tory Troll – we know where you’re coming from. You can run but you can’t hide Liz…

  • Liz McShane

    Free the Snail/Whale … you have lost me…! Can you expand please?