New Britain Party

2025-11-03T19:38:16Z

109.144.212.170:

{{Short description|British right-wing political party}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox political party
| name = New Britain
| logo =
| colorcode = Darkblue
| leader =
| chairman = Dennis Delderfield
| president = George Brooker
| leader1_title = Vice-president
| leader1_name = John Haynes
| spokesperson =
| foundation = {{Start date|1976}}
| dissolved = {{End date|2008}}
| position = [[Right-wing]]
| ideology = {{ubl|[[British nationalism]]|[[National conservatism]]|[[Anti-Communism]]}}
| headquarters = 10 College East, Gunthorpe Street, London E1 7RL
| international =
| website =
| country = the United Kingdom
}}

'''New Britain''' was a minor [[United Kingdom|British]] [[right-wing]] [[political party]] founded by Dennis Delderfield in 1976.<ref name=politicos>Boothroyd, David, ''Politicos Guide to the History of British Political Parties'' (2001), p. 207.</ref> The party was de-registered in November 2008.<ref>[http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/63167/Renamed-or-Deregistered-Parties.pdf List of renamed or deregistered parties since 2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206030211/http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/63167/Renamed-or-Deregistered-Parties.pdf |date=6 December 2008 }}. [[Electoral Commission (UK)|Electoral Commission]]</ref>

==Founding==
It was led from its creation by Dennis Delderfield, a former [[Court of Common Council|Common Councilman]] of the [[City of London Corporation]]<ref name=politicos/> and editor of the ''City of London & Dockland Times''.{{cn|date=November 2024}} In 1980, the party absorbed the [[Opposition to immigration|anti-immigration]] [[United Country Party (United Kingdom)|United Country Party]],<ref name=politicos/> which had been chaired by TV astronomer [[Patrick Moore]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/moore-joins-ranks-of-grumpy-old-men-with-claim-that-bbc-is-run-by-women-447926.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806070614/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/moore-joins-ranks-of-grumpy-old-men-with-claim-that-bbc-is-run-by-women-447926.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 August 2011|title=Moore joins ranks of grumpy old men with claim that BBC 'is run by women'|last=Verkaik|first=Robert|date=8 May 2007|work=The Independent|access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref> Around this time it also absorbed a small anti-devolution group called the Keep Britain United Party.<ref name=politicos/> This party had contested a single seat ([[Carmarthen (UK Parliament constituency)|Carmarthen]]) in the [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979 general election]].<ref>[http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge79/partycand.htm UK General Election, May 1979: Party Vote and Lost deposits]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge79/i05.htm |title=UK General Election results May 1979 |access-date=29 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303195051/http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge79/i05.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Positions==
New Britain was described as an "avowedly racist party" by ''[[The Observer]]''.<ref name=farright>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/may/21/foodanddrink.expertopinions|title=Far Right invades anti-Europe party|last=Rayner|first=Jay|date=21 May 2000|work=The Observer|access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref> It campaigned for the return of [[capital punishment]], and was supported by the Christian Affirmation Campaign, a right-wing traditionalist movement<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.catholicherald.co.uk/article/29th-november-1974/8/righties-unite|title = Catholic Herald - Archives}}</ref> opposed to what it saw as the [[World Council of Churches]]' support for [[Communism|Communist]] regimes in [[Africa]].<ref name=politicos/> Delderfield signed a letter in 2000 that argued that "suburb after suburb and town after town across the land have been taken over by Asians, Africans and Afro-Caribbeans.... In the not too distant future they will have direct control in many areas."<ref name=farright/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.whatnextjournal.co.uk/Pages/Back/Wnext29/Ukip.html|title=Brownshirts in Blazers? The Rise of UKIP|last=Sullivan|first=Martin|year=2004|work=What Next|access-date=12 February 2010}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
The party became active participants in by-elections, contesting those held in [[1977 City of London and Westminster South by-election|City of London and Westminster]], [[1982 Beaconsfield by-election|Beaconsfield]], [[1983 Penrith and The Border by-election|Penrith and the Border]] and [[1983 Bermondsey by-election|Bermondsey]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tatchell|first=Peter|title=The battle for Bermondsey|publisher=Heretic Books|year=1983|isbn=0-946097-11-9}}</ref> as well as putting up two candidates in the general elections of [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]] and [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]]. Its best performance was at the [[1977 Bournemouth East by-election|Bournemouth East by-election]] of November 1977, but the party's candidate in the [[1978 Ilford North by-election|Ilford North by-election]] of March 1978 was revealed to be a convicted child abuser after nominations had closed, and his endorsement was withdrawn.<ref name=politicos/>

In the [[1994 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|1994 European Parliament election]], the last to be held under [[first-past-the-post]], it achieved moderate success, saving its deposit in one seat and nearly doing so in another.<ref name=politicos/>

In the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]], former chairman Dennis Delderfield stood as an [[Independent politician|independent candidate]] in the [[Cities of London and Westminster (UK Parliament constituency)|Cities of London and Westminster]] [[Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliamentary constituency]], from the contact address listed on the New Britain website.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.westminster.gov.uk/workspace/assets/publications/CLW-SoPN-1271776318.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=9 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202232403/http://westminster.gov.uk/workspace/assets/publications/CLW-SoPN-1271776318.pdf |archive-date=2 December 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Membership==
Some former members later joined the [[UK Independence Party]], including [[Mike Nattrass]], later a [[Member of the European Parliament]] for UKIP, who stood as New Britain candidate in the [[1994 Dudley West by-election|Dudley West by-election of 1994]], gaining 146 votes. His fellow UKIP MEP [[Jeffrey Titford]] was also a briefly a member after the [[Referendum Party]] folded.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-true-face-of-a-party-which-wants-us-out-of-europe-8004371.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-true-face-of-a-party-which-wants-us-out-of-europe-8004371.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The true face of a party which wants us out of Europe (Or 10 things the UKIP don't want you to know about them)|date=3 August 2012|work=The Independent|access-date=16 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Daniel|first=Mark|title=Cranks and gadflies: the story of UKIP|publisher=Timewell Press|year=2005|isbn=1-85725-209-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=My7bPb1XnVIC&pg=PA45}}</ref> Another UKIP candidate, Brian Smalley, joined in 1994 and was a member of the national committee.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{UK far right}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Political parties established in 1976]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 2008]]
[[Category:Eurosceptic parties in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct political parties in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Defunct far-right political parties in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1976 establishments in the United Kingdom]]

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New Britain Party