View source for Derek Beackon

{{Short description|British politician}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Derek Beackon
| image = Derek b.png
| caption = Derek Beackon in 2024
| office = [[Councillor]] of Millwall ward<br/>in [[Tower Hamlets London Borough Council|Tower Hamlets Borough]]
| term_start = 16 September 1993
| term_end = 5 May 1994
| predecessor = E.&nbsp;T. Johns
| successor = Julia Mainwaring
|birth_date =
|birth_place = [[Stepney, London]], England
|death_date =
| nationality = [[United Kingdom|British]]
| party = [[British National Party]] (1986–2012)<br/>[[National Front (UK)|National Front]] (2012–2022)<br/>[[British Democratic Party (2013)|British Democratic Party]] (2022–present)
| profession =
}}
{{Far-right politics in the United Kingdom sidebar|Politicians}}
'''Derek William Beackon''' (born 1946 in [[Stepney]]<ref>[http://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/results?sourcecategory=life+events%28bmds%29&collection=civil+births&sid=102&firstname=derek&lastname=beackon&keywordsplace_proximity=5&sourcecountry=great+britain Find My Past website]</ref>) is a British [[Far-right politics|far-right]] [[politician]]. He is currently a member of the [[British Democratic Party (2013)|British Democratic Party]] (BDP), and a former member of the [[British National Party]] (BNP) and [[National Front (UK)|National Front]]. In 1993, he became the BNP's first elected councillor, although he served for only eight months.

==Beackon and the emergence of the BNP==
{{Main|Millwall by-election, 1993}}
Beackon joined the BNP in 1986 as an associate member, and became a full member two years later.<ref name="patriot_3">'Derek Beackon Interview', ''The Patriot'', No. 1, Spring 1997, p. 3</ref> Known as "Daddy", Beackon first stood as a candidate for the BNP in 1990 in the Redcoat ward of [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets]] where he gained 3% of the vote, a typically low total for the party at the time.<ref name="patriot_3"/>

Although Beackon's personal result had been a disappointment in Tower Hamlets, the area had slowly been growing as a centre of support for the BNP. The BNP still lagged behind the [[National Front (UK)|National Front]] (NF) in terms of public profile (even though that movement had fallen into severe decline). The BNP had respectable results in the area in a series of council by-elections in 1990. The area had also been one of the centres of support for [[John Tyndall (politician)|John Tyndall]] during the [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992 general election]]; Tyndall had stood in [[Bow and Poplar (UK Parliament constituency)|Bow and Poplar]], which included much of Tower Hamlets.<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|pp=52–53}}</ref>

Under the directorship of local organizer [[Eddy Butler]], the party had instigated a "Rights for Whites" campaign in the area, bringing back a slogan that had been employed by [[Martin Webster]] and the NF during the 1970s. Focusing on the perceived negative impact of immigration on the area of employment and housing, the campaign operated as if it was simply a local [[Advocacy group|pressure group]] before gradually introducing the BNP name into Rights for Whites literature.<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|pp=55–57}}</ref>

The initiative first produced results in the [[Millwall]] ward in October 1992 when a strong [[canvassing]] effort by local activists helped BNP candidate Barry Osborne capture 20% of the vote in a by-election.<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|p=53}}</ref> Millwall had long been a seat of unemployment associated with the declining [[Port of London]]. Most of the population had been descended from the 19th century workers who had built and operated the docks. With the building of the [[Limehouse Link tunnel|Limehouse Link Road]], predominantly [[British Bangladeshi|Bangladeshi]] families from a run-down Council estate in [[Limehouse]] (the St Vincent Estate) were rehoused in properties in Millwall. These properties had been marketed as "luxury", but had failed to sell after a downturn in the property market.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} This was presented as favourable treatment on grounds of race by the "[[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat Focus Team]]" seeking to capitalise on the issue. However, in a close three-way contest, the BNP gained from this campaign more than its authors.

A [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] councillor resigned in the same ward soon after this, sparking another by-election on 16 September 1993. Beackon was chosen as the candidate this time, following the local party's policy of rotating members. Beackon's campaign followed Butler's blueprint of emphasising "Rights for Whites" through canvassing and leafleting. He abandoned the old policy of holding a public meeting as he felt they proved too counterproductive by attracting large crowds of protesters, particularly from the [[Anti-Nazi League]] and [[Anti-Fascist Action]].<ref>Beackon interview, p. 5</ref> Beackon won the by-election of 16 September 1993 with 1480 votes (33.9%), beating Labour by 7 votes, with an overall turnout of 44%.<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|pp=53–54}}</ref> He thus became the first elected representative for the party.

===Reaction to Beackon's win===
The immediate reaction to Beackon's election was widespread condemnation from many sections of wider society. The ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' headline on 18 September read "SIEG HEIL... and Now He's a British Councillor", setting the tone for a slew of condemnation on the basis of Beackon being a white nationalist.<ref>{{harvp|Eatwell|2004|p=67}}</ref> Among those to express their outrage were the main political parties, the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] [[George Carey]] and the [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Commissioner]] of the [[Metropolitan Police]], Sir [[Paul Condon]].<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|p=54}}</ref> Beackon's own use of immoderate language also damaged him and he was quoted in the ''Daily Mirror'' when, after being asked about refuse collection, he said that "The Asians are rubbish and that is what we are going to clear from the streets."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20011009225830/http://www.anl.org.uk/09-britain-nazis.htm "Who are Britain's Nazis"] from the [[Anti-Nazi League]] site</ref>

==Beackon as a councillor==
As a councillor, Beackon found it hard to discharge his duties effectively because of a boycott by other councillors and staff, who staged a protest walk-out after his election. He was hampered by his own inexperience: the BNP press office had to speak for him after he failed to distinguish between the housing and social service departments in a newspaper interview with the ''[[East London Advertiser]]''. He had to flee his flat in Wapping to live in hiding with his brother in [[Bethnal Green]] during which time his housing benefit was cancelled.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}

Beackon was unable to fulfill his promises to influence housing allocation to benefit white constituents. Overall, during his time in office Beackon was characterized as a weak councillor who had trouble following the council agenda.<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|p=63}}</ref> At the time it was suggested that Beackon was virtually illiterate and was unable to read council documents; he later strenuously denied the allegations while admitting that he had trouble understanding their meaning.<ref name="patriot_3"/>

When the seat went up for election again in 1994 a strong mobilization of voters against the BNP was undertaken by Labour, with the turnout rising to 65%.<ref name="Copsey_65">{{harvp|Copsey|2004|p=65}}</ref> Despite Beackon's generally ineffectual performance as a councillor he added 561 votes to his total, although the seat was lost as the rest of the vote largely coalesced around Labour, and the Liberal Democrat vote collapsed.<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|p=64}}</ref> He was the only successful BNP candidate during [[John Tyndall (politician)|John Tyndall]]'s tenure as party leader. The BNP did not win any more council seats until they won three seats in [[Burnley]] in 2002.

==Chief steward==
Before and during his run as a Tower Hamlets councillor, Beackon served as the BNP's chief steward, which included the job of ensuring order at BNP meetings. As chief steward he was given the job of leading the party's bodyguard group set up in 1992.<ref name="Copsey_65"/> Made up largely of [[casual (subculture)|casuals]] and [[white power skinhead]]s, the group soon proved difficult for the middle-aged Beackon to control, and before long, real control lay with [[Charlie Sargent]] and his brother Steve.<ref name="Copsey_65"/> Following Beackon's election, the group became disillusioned with the electoral path and broke away from the BNP, adopting the name [[Combat 18]]. Eddy Butler and [[Tony Lecomber]] were among the BNP members targeted for attack, in what became a bitter split.<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|pp=65–66}}</ref>

==Later BNP activism==
Beackon's profile fell away somewhat after his election defeat as the BNP failed to capitalise on their breakthrough. He remained loyal to Butler, who had fallen out of favour with Tyndall, and was interviewed for the first issue of ''The Patriot'', a dissident journal within the party associated with Butler, Lecomber, Michael Newland, and others on the party's 'modernising' wing, all of whom went on to back [[Nick Griffin]] in his successful challenge to Tyndall's leadership.<ref>Beackon interview, pp. 3–5</ref> Indeed, Beackon appeared in ''Moving On, Moving Up'', a glossy brochure produced by Griffin during his leadership campaign, endorsing the former [[Political Soldier]] for the BNP leadership.<ref>{{harvp|Copsey|2004|p=110}}</ref>

Despite this support Beackon remained a peripheral figure within the BNP under Griffin's leadership and before long he fell in with the group of anti-Griffin activists around Tyndall. His [[eulogy]] to Tyndall was one of the few written by an active BNP member to appear in the final issue of ''[[Spearhead (magazine)|Spearhead]]'', released immediately following Tyndall's death.<ref>''[[Spearhead (magazine)|Spearhead]]'', Number 438, August 2005, p. 4</ref> Still nominally a member of the BNP he has become associated with the 'Friends of John Tyndall', an informal anti-Griffin group largely controlled by [[Richard Edmonds]] and [[John Morse (British politician)|John Morse]] in attending a speech by [[Valerie Tyndall]] which they had organised in July 2007. The event included stalls by a number of political parties – the [[National Front (UK)|National Front]], [[England First Party]] and the [[British People's Party (2005)|British People's Party]]. The BNP did not participate.<ref>''[[Searchlight (magazine)|Searchlight]]'', August 2007, p. 14</ref>

Beackon re-emerged as a BNP activist in [[Thurrock]], Essex. He was a BNP candidate for the [[Orsett]] ward of [[Thurrock Council]] in May 2008. This is a safe Conservative ward and Beackon finished in third place with 330 votes, 17.8% of the total.<ref>[http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/democracy/content.php?page=wrds&ID=12 Wards and Elections] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090330143718/http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/democracy/content.php?page=wrds&ID=12 |date=30 March 2009 }}, Thurrock Council website, May 2008</ref>

For the 2010 council elections, he stood for the [[Chadwell St Mary]] ward and gained 811 votes (19.8%).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thurrock.gov.uk/democracy/content.php?page%3Dwrds%26ID%3D3 |title=Thurrock's Wards And Elections |publisher=Thurrock Council |access-date=25 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130143300/http://thurrock.gov.uk/democracy/content.php?page=wrds&ID=3 |archive-date=30 November 2010 |df=dmy }}</ref>

==Post-BNP years==
By 2012, Beackon had left the BNP and joined the [[National Front (UK)|National Front]], standing as a candidate in the Chadwell St Mary ward for the [[2012 Thurrock Council election|local elections in Thurrock]]<ref>[http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/9632044.Local_election_candidates_announced/ "Local election candidates announced"], ''Thurrock Gazette'', 4 April 2012</ref> and gained 103 votes (6.1%) in fourth place out of five candidates by beating the Liberal Democrat.

In 2022, alongside several other prominent far-right activists and politicians, Beackon joined the [[British Democratic Party (2013)|British Democratic Party]] (BDP). It was founded in 2013 by then-MEP [[Andrew Brons]], who had narrowly failed to oust Griffin in the [[2011 British National Party leadership election|2011 BNP leadership election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://britishdems.co.uk/2022/08/25/derek-beackon-joins-the-british-democrats/ |title=Derek Beackon Joins the British Democrats!|publisher=British Democratic Party|date=11 August 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|21em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last=Copsey |first=N. |year=2004 |title=Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy |location=Basingstoke |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan }}
*{{cite book |last1=Eatwell |first1=Roger |chapter=The extreme right in Britain: the long road to 'modernization' |pages=62–79 |editor=Roger Eatwell |editor2=Cas Mudde |editor2-link=Cas Mudde |year=2004 |title=Western Democracies and the New Extreme Right Challenge |location=London |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134201563 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/17/newsid_2520000/2520085.stm BBC "on this day" report]

{{British National Party}}
{{UK far right}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beackon, Derek}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:People from Stepney]]
[[Category:British National Party politicians]]
[[Category:National Front (UK) politicians]]
[[Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]
[[Category:English far-right politicians]]
[[Category:British Democratic Party (2013) politicians]]