Far right infighting

A complaint that the British National Party had taken over the Solidarity trade union was being heard by the certification officer as Labour Research went to press.

Solidarity founder Clive Potter alleges that he and other members of the nationalist union’s executive who wanted to remain “independent” of the BNP were ousted by friends of BNP leader Nick Griffin.

The union has always denied being a BNP front. However, Potter alleges that Griffin passed on to the union a £5,000 donation that had been made to the BNP but was not accepted by the party to avoid the donor having to be identified.

Solidarity’s general secretary is Patrick Harrington, a former organiser for the National Front. The union has acted for people dismissed from their jobs because of association with the BNP.