BNP candidate sacked over 'rape is a myth' blog

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Within hours of yesterday's article, the BNP said Nick Eriksen would be removed from its list of candidates, where he had been placed second, giving him a serious chance of winning a seat on 1 May. Richard Barnbrook, the party's London leader, said Mr Eriksen's views were "totally and absolutely abhorrent" and he would be disciplined.

But, amid clear signs of disarray in the BNP, it was not clear whether Mr Eriksen had been sacked as the party's chief London organiser, and other senior figures rallied round him. BNP deputy leader Simon Darby called the Standard-story a "smear" and said Mr Eriksen'sremarks had been taken " completely out of context".

Mr Eriksen is the author of "Sir John Bull," a far-Right blog which has regularly advocated hatred and abuse against women. On 24 August 2005, Mr Eriksen wrote on the blog: "I've never understood why so many men have allowed themselves to be brainwashed by the feminazi myth machine into believing that rape is such a serious crime ... Rape is simply sex. Women enjoy sex, so rape cannot be such a terrible physical ordeal.

"To suggest that rape, when conducted without violence, is a serious crime is like suggesting force-feeding a woman chocolate cake is a heinous offence. A woman would be more inconvenienced by having her handbag snatched."

On 5 November 2005, in an item entitled "Give her a slap!," Mr Eriksen approvingly quoted Noel Coward as saying: "Some women are like gongs - they need to be struck regularly." On 24 November 2005, Mr Eriksen wrote that mothers "should never go out to work" and described career women as " unnatural and vile".

Mr Eriksen said the comments were simply "in order to stimulate debate".

Yesterday afternoon London Elects, which is running the 1 May polls, said Mr Barnbrook had approached it about withdrawing Mr Eriksen's name but had not yet submitted the forms to do so.