LABOUR VICTORY "TURNS THE TIDE" AGAINST BNP IN PRINCES END

07-12-2007

In the wake of last night’s Labour by-election victory in Princes End, a senior Sandwell councillor has said “the tide is turning” against the BNP which was beaten back into third place. But he admitted the far-right party had enjoyed success in the area because people felt let down by conventional politicians.

Until recently the far-right party had four councillors in Sandwell, making it their most successful council in the West Midlands. They now have just two, following the decision to Simon Smith to quit the party, and the removal of James Lloyd for non-attendance which prompted yesterday’s poll.

Cllr Darren Cooper, the Cabinet Member for Adult Services said, “this was a really good victory especially against the background of what’s been going on down in Westminster lately.

“I think a lot of people have given up on national politics, but in Delia Edwards they’ll have a really hard-working councillor who’ll stand up for them. I expect her to take the area by the scruff of the neck and turn it around.

“It was the neglect of party members in that ward, and councillors not doing their job – Tory as well as Labour – that led to people not having faith in local politicians.

“Now that tide is turning. People have stopped believing the lies of the BNP. We had a lot of people who told us they’d voted BNP before but were now returning to Labour.”

The turnout, at 18.2% was pitfully low, but Cooper insisted that in the context of Princes End, it was actually a decent achievement.

“ 5 or 6 years ago, you’d have got only 10%, and we’ve got to keep working on improving that.”