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BNP aide admits doing party work during City Hall hours
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard20.11.08
A BNP AIDE today admitted he does work for the far-Right party while being paid a City Hall salary.
Simon Darby, the personal assistant to British National Party London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook, made the admission a day after threatening whoever had leaked a list of party members on the internet.
After the leak Mr Darby said that those responsible should not be "sleeping very well tonight" as "it will turn out to be one of the most foolish things they have done in their life".
Mr Darby, who earns nearly £16,000 for a 22-hour working week, said he would often carry out BNP business at his London Assembly office but said that he would then "make up the time later". He said: "I do work part-time for the GLA and I have to put in 22.5 hours a week. I am not circumscribed by political restrictions."
However he denied using City Hall computers, paper or phone lines, saying he used his own laptop and internet connection.
"I don't need an office," he said.
"I can do [BNP] work on the train, I can work in my car. What do you expect?
"When a BNP member is elected, they're not going to have a Communist or Liberal Democrat working for them."
Mr Darby was interviewed by a panel of members of the authority before he was given the job as personal assistant to Mr Barnbrook.
One of the criteria was that he should be able to "promote equality of opportunity" at the assembly. Staff earning less than about £35,000 are not subject to restrictions which make it illegal for them to express political views, but work unrelated to their job should be carried out in their "personal time".
Today other assembly members were in cross-party talks over whether to make a formal complaint calling for his suspension.
If a complaint is made by the members or a member of the public it will first be referred to the standards sub-committee and will ultimately be a decision for the new chief executive of the Greater London Authority, Leo Boland.
One member of staff at City Hall said: "What concerns a lot of people is that he is here being paid for by the public purse. I think we're on quite dangerous ground."
So far a radio DJ has already lost his job after his name appeared upon the leaked BNP membership list. Police forces have also been told to check the list as officers are banned from being BNP members.
A member of the assembly said: "We are having talks and will decide whether to take further action."
Yesterday Mr Barnbrook allegedly strode out of a lunchtime meeting with other assembly members after one referred to him as a "Nazi".
Reader views (23)
This man is effectively a secretary and £16,000 is not an exorbitant amount for a 22 hour week in central London. I don't even know how anyone could live on that without an additional income. I am not a member of the BNP but I agree with the sentiment shown by other writers on this page: at least you know what their BNP's real motives are!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
This witch hunt of the BNP a legitimate political party, has made me realise I need to vote BNP in future, you may feel a wasted vote, but I feel my vote would be totally wasted on Nu Labour, Tories or Lib Dems they are all a bunch of self serving morons. They change their policies like the wind, and take no notice of what the general public want. Perhaps a right wing government would actually give us what we want, all the Nazi claims about the BNP will not dissuade me, as our freedoms have disappeared under Nu Labour they are the real Gestapo eliminating our freedoms.
- Ros, London UK
Who ever leaked that list must be gutted as to how spectacularly it has backfired.
GOOD !!!
- Chris, London
I'm not a member or supporter of the BNP but I am sick of them being 'hunted' by the media, when they are a legal democratic party. When one compares the Tory and Labour sleaze to the BNP ... they are almost saints !
- Kathy Doyle, London - England
If the BNP had caused 1% of the damage NuLab had caused to this country, then I would fair game. The thing is in many areas they have councillors, they have improved things, so lay off them, before their 100 councillors adds another nought to their number.
- Richard Partridge, Eaton Bishop UK
Well said Kim,Lancing.I'm with you on that.
- Steve, London
What's wrong with that,shows he's dedicated.
Can't we leave these people and the party alone?Because they're white and care about their country doesn't make them the KKK.
I don't like Al Queda but I don't keep banging on about them.
- Eddie, London
Such hypocrisy and double standards,the rely outrageous attacks on members of a legal political party really is obnoxious in a so called democracy,is this new labours vision of the future for the British citizen,a Stalinist future for us all,toe the line or you will lose your job loose the ability to provide for your family and be demonised,simply proves to me that some in the uk are running scared and feel threatened and its not the bnp and its supporters.
- Kev, London
I strongly object to any of my hard earned council tax money finding its way into this mans pocket.
But the GLA cannot have it both ways, he is an employee of the GLA and by making the threats that he did on his blog under the code of conduct for staff at the GLA he should face a disciplinary hearing.
- Val, London
The BNP have nothing to hide. What you see is what you get. Their policies are in many ways socialist. All of their policies make perfect sense, that's why the other parties are scared to death of them. You cannot get a fag paper between the three main parties because they are terrified to say or do anything that might lose them votes, and their gold plated lives will be ruined. That's why they make U-turns on a regular basis. If we don't buy it, they change it. Anything to get re-elected. They are the parties to be afraid of, because they ara without honour.
- Sylvia, Essex
If the BNP are a legitimate political party then they should be allowed to proceed as such. We are a democracy. That means allowing opinions you may disagree with. Beware of those who try to take away those rights -however sanctimoniously self-righteous they are.
- Sandra, London UK
A friend of mine worked in the Mayor's Office (under the previous encumbant) and told me that whilst the Mayor's Advisers were not supposed to do any electioneering work for him in the run-up to an election, they simply covered their tracks by using their personal email accounts (via the internet on GLA computers) and personal mobile phones.
- Jimmy, Fulham, Middx
I cant wait for the next story
'BNP MEMBER TOOK 65 MINUTE LUNCH BREAK INSTEAD OF 60'
This is embarrassing now.
Are you saying to me that no labour, tory, green, liberal party member does the same?
Laughable left wing, liberal nonsense.
- Lb, London
Andre Maurois once said "I may not agree with what you have said but I will fight to the death for your right to say it". British Macarthyism is alive and well and muzzleling freedom of beliefs and speech. One may not agree with the British National Party and what it may or may not stand for it but that is no reason to make martyrs of its membership.
Communists in Britain were never denied employment as civil servants or working for the government in some form or fashion, as they were made to take the oath of allegiance.So why the BNP? Next it will be the left wing of the Labour Party and then the right wing of the Conservative and then we have another Brave New World organised by a grey politician such as Ken Livingstone.This is as stupid as the EU imposing sanctions on Austria because 27% of their electorate voted for a right wing party which were opposed to immigration. Politician please listen and find out why the electorate do strange things. Don't turn the members of the BNP into second class citizens as persecution makes the opposed more determined.
Tolerance and debate is what is needed not prejudice.
- Alexis Dogilewski, London, England
Sal Orpington's comment - If governments refuse to listen to its people you will, eventually, get a far right group in power so on your own heads be it!
Sounds like a threat to me...if democracy does not deliver what I want - others (not Sal of course) will take power by other means.....
- Martin_Clerkenwell, london
if you are paid at the taxpayers expense, you must be doing non-partisan work during work hours. this is irrespective of the party involved - remember the allegations at ken's staff at election time, which the evening standard was dogged in its persual. this isn't a bnp witch hunt, this is a basic rule of democracy - to which this fundametally racist party, under a thin veneer of respectability and 'intelligence' - has never shown any strong committment to.
let there be no apology for a party whose fundamental beliefs are for the expulsion of any non-white immigrant from the uk.
- James W, shepherds bush
One hopes someone is investigating the amount of public money being spent on furthering the repugnant aims of the BNP.
- Neil, Gloucestershire, England.
This is typical of the Nu Labor culture that pervades this country nowadays.
- Georgie, Islington, London
So no-one else who works in local or central government do anything else during work time but official business. Me thinks he is being picked on only because he's a member of the BNP. This is a bit rich considering lots of MPs have their snouts in the trough all the time when they are being very well paid. There would be no need for extreme parties like the BNP if successive governments actually listened to what the public want, ie no political correctness, no Human Rights Act, a curb on immigration, tough prison sentences, look after our own people first, etc. and before anyone assumes, you assume wrong, I am not, and never have been a member of the BNP. If governments refuse to listen to its people you will, eventually, get a far right group in power so on your own heads be it!
- Sal, Orpington, Kent
Come off it! I bet there isn't a single elected official, be they MP, MEP, councillor or GLA member, that has not conducted or discussed party politics during "work" time. Just because he belongs to the BNP, it doesn't justify a witch-hunt.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
Whatever your opinion of the BNP, this sort of witch-hunt is repugnant and inimical to a flourishing democracy.
- Blackstone Coke, London
Would they be making a fuss if he was Tory, Lib Dem, Labour, Green?
- P I Staker, London
This is the best press the BNP can have. The over reaction from everyone is making everyone go to the BNP website and have a look at their policies - which to be honest at first glance pretty much represents the thoughts of all honest law abiding tax paying people - irrespective of colour, ethnic religion etc. This is a witch hunt and is disgusting. the other parties who are stamping down and ignoring everyone's privacy are the parties I will be avoiding from hereonin.
- Kim, Lancing, West Sussex
