British National Party (1960)

The British National Party (BNP) was a minor far-right political party active in the United Kingdom from 1960 to 1967. It was formed from a merger of the White Defence League, the National Labour Party, and remnants of the League of Empire Loyalists. Its ideology was rooted in white nationalism and opposition to immigration, particularly from Commonwealth countries.

The BNP's leader was John Bean, who had previously been involved in other far-right groups. The party contested several parliamentary elections but achieved very little electoral success. Its highest vote share in a general election was 1.0% in 1964, in the constituency of Smethwick, although its candidate in that constituency, Peter Griffiths, did win the seat, campaigning on an explicitly anti-immigration platform.

The party's activities included demonstrations and the distribution of propaganda promoting its views. The BNP also attempted to appeal to working-class voters by advocating for protectionist economic policies.

Internal divisions and a lack of financial resources contributed to the BNP's decline. In 1967, it merged with other far-right groups, including A.K. Chesterton's National Front, effectively dissolving the original British National Party. The National Front went on to become a more prominent, although ultimately unsuccessful, far-right force in British politics during the 1970s. The 1960 BNP is distinct from the later British National Party founded in 1982 by John Tyndall.