- British Empire Party
The British Empire Party was a minor
right-wing party in theUnited Kingdom . It was founded in the early 1950s by P. J. Ridout, a former member of theImperial Fascist League . [Peter Barberis, John McHugh and Mike Tyldesley, "Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations"]In the
1951 UK general election , the party stood one candidate, Trefor David, in Ogmore, who received 1,643 votes. A formerPlaid Cymru member and miner, David gained some supporter amongst local miners but saw his support reduced after a local paper revelaed the fascist past of Ridout. [David Boothroyd , "Politico's Guide to the History of British Political Parties", 2001, p. 17]The party gained a brief boost in 1951 when
Arnold Leese told his followers to join the group, although ultimately the minor levels of support that Leese commanded made little difference. [Dave Renton, "Fascism, Anti-Fascism and Britain in the 1940s", Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2000, p. 51]References
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