The campaign in the Wiltshire seat of Chippenham is being overshadowed by a row over whether the British National Party (BNP) candidate should join hustings debates, writes Katie Razzall.
To invite the BNP or not to invite the BNP – that is the question in Chippenham. The incredibly close fight in this new Wiltshire seat is being diverted by an argument over whether the BNP candidate should be invited to hustings.
The “Black Farmer”, as he’s known, is the Tory candidate for Chippenham. This fedora-wearing sophisticate and successful sausage manufacturer, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, refuses to share a platform with the BNP.
He told me “this is a point of principle, they’ve got no mandate here and I don’t want to legitimise them”.
He has persuaded his Labour opponent to join him. Greg Lovell says it has s been his most difficult decision of the campaign. But he agrees: “There’s a difference between sitting on the stage and all of us talking about health, for example. It normalises them. I’m worried it will act as a Trojan horse for their views.”
The BNP candidate, Michael Simpkins, says they are “scared”. He is making the most of this. He turned up a recent hustings uninvited, took a chair from the audience and joined the panel – until the police were called.
At another, he stood outside, bible in hand, to protest his lack of an invitation. He told me he is not standing because Mr Emmanuel-Jones is black. In fact, he says he doesn’t “hate black people”.
When I asked him why he was standing for the BNP in that case, he said the BNP are portrayed wrongly by the media.
Chippenham Candidates
Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones (Conservative)
Samantha Fletcher (Green)
Duncan Hames (Liberal Democrat)
Greg Lovell (Labour)
John Maguire (English Democrats)
Julia Reid (UK Independence party)
Richard Sexton (Christian party)
Michael Simpkins (British National party)
The trouble here in Chippenham is that the row has become party political.
The Liberal Democrat candidate, Duncan Hames, is not signed up to the BNP boycott. He says he does not like the BNP but says, particularly in this era of dissatisfaction with politicians, he does not want to dictate the terms of debate.
He says: “I’m there to co-operate. If other candidates make a fuss, it doesn’t help us move on.”
This Sunday the BNP has been invited to a hustings. Its organisers have told Mr Emmanuel-Jones his decision not to debate with the BNP is “incompatible” with holding public office.
He is demanding they retract that, and the row between principle and freedom of speech rumbles on.