Far-right politics are a recurring phenomenon in theUnited Kingdom since the early 20th century, with the formation ofNazi,fascist,antisemitic, andIslamophobic movements. One of the earliest examples of fascism in the UK can be found as early as 1923 with the formation ofBritish Fascisti byRotha Lintorn-Orman.[1][2] It went on to acquire more explicitly racial connotations, being dominated in the 1960s and 1970s by self-proclaimedwhite nationalist organisations that opposed non-white andAsian immigration. The idea stems from belief ofwhite supremacy, the belief thatwhite people are superior to all other races and should therefore dominate society.[3] Examples of such groups in the UK are theNational Front (NF), theBritish Movement (BM) andBritish National Party (BNP), or theBritish Union of Fascists (BUF). Since the 1980s, the term has mainly been used to describe those groups, such as theEnglish Defence League, who express the wish to preserve what they perceive to beBritish culture, and those who campaign against the presence of non-indigenousethnic minorities.
The NF and the BNP have been strongly opposed to non-whiteimmigration. They have encouraged the repatriation of ethnic minorities: the NF favours compulsory repatriation, while the BNP favoursvoluntary repatriation. The BNP have had a number of local councillors in some inner-city areas ofEast London, and towns inYorkshire andLancashire, such asBurnley andKeighley. East London has been the bedrock of far-right support in the UK since the 1930s, whereas BNP success in thenorth of England was a newer phenomenon. The only other part of the country to provide any significant level of support for such views is theWest Midlands.
However, in recent decades, the government have seen the far right to be a greater threat. The threat posed by the far-right has evolved and continues to grow.[4] Prior to 2014, far-right activity was confined to a small, established group that promoted anti-immigration andwhite supremacist views. These groups tended to present a low risk to national security but in recent years multiple attacks have been carried out by people who hold such views. An official report, published in 2019, highlighted that the UK had the highest number of far-right terrorist attacks and plots in Europe.[4][5] The threat by the extreme right has moved from being a political movement to being a greater threat to national security. On 31 March 2022, of the 233 prisoners in custody for terrorism-connected offences, 57 were categorised as extreme-right.[6] This is much higher than it was a decade ago and is on an upward trend.
Key views of various far-right groups includewhite supremacy,cultural nationalism,opposition to immigration and theIdentitarian movement. Far-right groups and individuals disproportionately target ethnic minority and religious groups, LGBT+ groups, politicians, and public figures.[5]
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The British far right rose out of thefascist movement. In 1932,Oswald Mosley founded theBritish Union of Fascists, which was banned duringWorld War II. Following the ban, Mosley founded the Union Movement. It was following this that far-right groups became more prevalent.[1][7] Mosley argued that fascism was the only possible way in which we were able to save Britain from socio-economic ruin and a communist takeover.[8]
During the 1950s and 60s, the landscape of ERW groups continued to evolve with the emergence of organisations such as theLeague of Empire Loyalists (LEL) and theNational Front (NF). The rise of ERW ideologies during this period can be attributed, in part, to the dismantling of the British Empire, due to a sense of national decline.[1]
Founded in 1954 byA. K. Chesterton, theLeague of Empire Loyalists became the main British far right group at the time. The League of Empire Loyalists believed that the British empire brought around a sense of "pride and joy" and so aimed to "force upon existing parties favourable to national and imperial survival," with the hope to see a return of the "British world... at home and abroad."[1] The LEL was apressure group rather than a political party, and did not contest elections. Most of its members were part of theConservative Party, and they were known for politically embarrassing stunts at party conferences. Additionally, throughout its time, LEL was involved in many non-violent protests, which involved heckling speakers.[1][9] Furthermore, this group held the belief that Jews were behind the dismantling of the British empire. Its more extreme elements wanted to make the group more political, which led to a number of splinter groups forming, including theWhite Defence League and theNational Labour Party. These both stood in local elections in 1958, and merged in 1960 to form theBritish National Party (BNP).
With the decline of theBritish Empire becoming inevitable, British far-right parties turned their attention to internal matters. The 1950s had seen an increase in immigration to the UK from its former colonies, particularlyIndia,Pakistan, theCaribbean andUganda. Led byJohn Bean andAndrew Fountaine, the BNP opposed the admittance of these people to the UK. A number of its rallies, such as one in 1962 inTrafalgar Square, London, ended inrace riots. After a few early successes, the party got into difficulties and was destroyed by internal arguments. In 1967 it joined forces withJohn Tyndall and the remnants of Chesterton's League of Empire Loyalists to form theNational Front (NF).
Britain's largest far right party post-war was the National Front. The NF popularity was boosted by the infamousRivers of Blood speech given byEnoch Powell in 1968.[10][11] The NF opposed the mass-migration of non-white migrants throughout the 70s and was able to boost its popularity through the opposition to the immigration rules introduced byEdward Heath, leader of theConservative and Unionist Party and prime minister, which saw a boost to their membership, to an estimated 17,500 by 1972.[12] Throughout the seventies, the NF saw a rise in popularity and influence, mainly at a local level; for example, in the1973 West Bromwich by-election the NF won 16 per cent.[13] They finished third in threeby-elections, although these results were atypical of the country as a whole. The party supported extremeloyalism inNorthern Ireland, and attracted Conservative Party members who had become disillusioned afterHarold Macmillan had recognised the right to independence of theAfrican colonies, and had criticisedApartheid in South Africa.[14] During the 1970s, the NF's rallies became a regular feature of British politics. Election results remained strong in a fewworking class urban areas, with a number of local council seats won, but the party never came anywhere near winning representation in parliament. Throughout its active years, the NF were involved in several violent incidences, notably the 1974 Red Lion Square disorders,[15] over the amnesty of illegal immigrants and the 1977 ‘Battle of Lewisham', which aimed to intimidate local minority residents.[16] However, by the late 90s, its popularity began to decline following the emergence of the [British National Party] (BNP), receiving just 2,716 votes in the 1997 General Election.[17]
The smaller far right groups maintained anti-immigration policies, but there was a move towards a more inclusionist vision of the UK, and a focus on opposing what became theEuropean Union. The NF began to support non-white radicals such asLouis Farrakhan. This led to the splintering of the various groups, with radicalpolitical soldiers such as a youngNick Griffin forming theThird Way group, and traditionalists creating theFlag Group.
John Tyndall formed theNew National Front in 1980, and changed its name to theBritish National Party (BNP) in 1982. They, alongside the Conservative Monday Club, campaigned against the increasing integration of the UK into theEuropean Union. However, with Thatcher in her prime and Tyndall's reputation of a 'brutal, street fighting background' and his admiration forHitler and theNazis prevented the party from gaining any respectability.
There was some success in 1993, BNP scored its first electoral success whenDerek Beackon won acouncil vote seat on the Isle of Dogs with 34 per cent vote.[13] They developed a policy of eschewing the traditional far right methods of extra-parliamentary movements, and concentrated instead on the ballot box.Nick Griffin replaced Tyndall as BNP leader in 1999 and introduced several policies to make the party more electable. Repatriation of ethnic minorities was made voluntary and several other policies were moderated.
The National Front continued to decline, whilst Nick Griffin and the BNP grew in popularity and was one of the most successful and fastest-growing far-right parties in the twenty-first century.[18] It promoted ethnic nationalism and believed that "being British is more than merely a passport," as such, it is noted by some, such asMatthew Goodwin, that this is what separates the BNP from other parties in British politics.[19] However, throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century the BNP were able to established itself as an alternative for working-class voters who were angry at the "political establishment" for its ignorance towards their concerns over immigration, which allowed the BNP to have representation at a local council level throughout the mid-2000s.[18][20] A damagingBBC documentary led to Griffin being charged withincitement to racial hatred (although he was acquitted).[21] The2006 local elections brought the BNP the most successful results of any far right party in British history. They gained 33 council seats, the second highest gain of any party at the elections; inBarking and Dagenham, they gained 12 councillor seats. Further success led to the party gaining local councillors in the2002,2003,2004,2006,2007 and2008 Local Elections.
In the2008 local elections, the party won a record 100 councillor seats, and a seat on the Greater London Assembly, which would prove the party's high water mark. At theJune 2009 European Parliament Election, the BNP gained two Members of the European Parliament forYorkshire and the Humber andNorth West England. In October 2009, BNP leader Nick Griffin was allowed on the BBC topical debate showQuestion Time. His appearance caused muchcontroversy and the show was watched by over 8 million people.
The 2010s saw the rise of theEnglish Defence League (EDL),National Action (NA) andBritain First (BF). At the beginning of this decade, it was determined that domestic terrorism, such as ERW terrorism, was not a threat to the UK.[5] Throughout the 2010s, there was a continuing trend of the far-right being more intimidating towards minority groups.[22]
At the2010 general election, the BNP fielded 338 candidates across England, Scotland and Wales and won 563,743 votes (1.9% of total) but no seats.[23]Nick Griffin subsequently said he would resign as BNP leader in 2013, and was eventually expelled from the party in 2014 as the BNP fell into obscurity. The National Front fielded 17 candidates at the 2010 Election and received 10,784 votes.[citation needed]
The NF has not put forward a single candidate in any election since the2015 United Kingdom general election.
The BNP has been essentially inactive since 2019, and has not put forward a single candidate in any elections since 2019, with the only evidence of any activity being the occasional post on its website or Twitter account.
The anti-Islamist group, theEnglish Defence League, oversaw early "rapid and unprecedented" growth,[24] appealing to nationalist sentiments on a cultural rather than explicitly racial basis. Originally formed inLuton in 2009, it protests against what it considers theIslamification of Britain.[25] Its ideology is driven by opposition to Islam, which it deems a "threat" as it poses to "our way of life, our customs, and our rule of law."[24] This opposition led the EDL to organise demonstrations in towns and cities acrossEngland, the largest of which occurred in Luton in February 2011.[26]
By 2023 and 2024, news publications andHope not Hate considered the EDL defunct as an organisation.
Soon after, theUK Independence Party (UKIP) started to gain popularity. Although labelled as far-right by some political observers,[27] UKIP was not universally considered so.[28][29] UKIP and the EDL benefited over this period from a rightward shift in the electorate, while former far-right parties such as the BNP and National Front declined and became fringe groups.[30]
TheBritish National Party (BNP) blamed UKIP for its decline, accusing the latter of stealing BNP policies and slogans.[31] UKIP leaderNigel Farage claimed that his party absorbed much of the BNP's former voters during their electoral peak in the early 2010s.[32]
UKIP's vote and support peaked at the2015 United Kingdom general election with 3,881,099 votes or 12.6% of the vote. UKIP has seen its support decrease at every election since, getting 593,852 or 1.8% in2017, 22,817 or 0.1% in2019, and 6,530 or 0.01% in2024.[citation needed]
From 2018 to 2019, under the leadership ofGerard Batten,UKIP was widely described as moving intofar-right territory, at which point many longstanding members – including former leadersNigel Farage andPaul Nuttall – left. As the new permanent leader, Batten focused the party more on opposing Islam and sought closer relations with the far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, otherwiseTommy Robinson, and his followers.[33] Batten would leave the leadership of UKIP in 2019.
In 2010,Robin Tilbrook, the chairman of theEnglish nationalist party theEnglish Democrats, met with Sergey Yerzunov, a member of the executive committee of the Russian nationalist groupRussky Obraz.[34] Shortly afterwards, Obraz announced that they were in alliance with the English Democrats.[35] Other members of this alliance include SerbianObraz,1389 Movement,Golden Dawn,Danes' Party,Slovenska Pospolitost,Workers' Party andNoua Dreaptă. Since 2010, a number of former members of the BNP have joined the English Democrats, with the party chairman quoted as saying, "They will help us become an electorally credible party."[36] In an April 2013 interview, Tilbrook said that about 200–300 out of the party's membership of 3,000 were former BNP members. He said it was "perfectly fair" that such people would "change their minds" and join a "moderate, sensible English nationalist party".[37]
In 2011, the far-right, anti-Islam, and fascist partyBritain First and shared views similar to that of the EDL.[24] This movement was formed by former members of the BNP[38] and campaigns primarily againstimmigration,multiculturalism and what it sees as theIslamisation of the United Kingdom, and aims to protect with the intention of "protecting British and Christian morality."[24] The group is inspired byUlster loyalism and has avigilante wing called the "Britain First Defence Force". Throughout its time, BF was largely digital. In response to videos of young Muslims intimidating women, gay men and those drinking alcohol, BF became more confrontational in its resistance against Muslims and Islam.[24] Additionally, It attracted attention by takingdirect action such as protests outside homes of alleged Islamists, and what it describes as "Christian patrols" and "invasions" of British mosques,[38][39] and has been noted for itsonline activism.[40] Its leaderPaul Golding stood as a candidate in the2016 London mayoral election, receiving 31,372 or 1.2% of the vote, coming eighth of twelve candidates.[41] Golding was jailed for eight weeks in December 2016 for breaking a court order banning him from entering mosques or encouraging others to do so.[42] In 2018, Golding was convicted and imprisoned again, this time for harassment.[43]
Nick Scanlon was the Britain First candidate in the2024 London mayoral election. He received 20,519 or 0.8% of the vote, coming twelfth of thirteen candidates, and notably received less votes than the satire candidateCount Binface.[44]
In February 2013, theBritish Democratic Party (BDP) was launched by formerMember of the European Parliament (MEP) andNational Front chairmanAndrew Brons, who had resigned from the BNP in October 2012 after narrowly failing in his campaign to unseatNick Griffin as BNP leader in2011.[45] Brons remains the BDP's inaugural president, and the chairman is James Lewthwaite.[46] The BDP has attracted former members of theBritish National Party (BNP), Democratic Nationalists, Freedom Party,UK Independence Party (UKIP),[47][45]For Britain Movement, andCivil Liberty, including long-standing far-right political leaderJohn Bean. Nick Lowles ofHope not Hate believed the party would be a serious threat to the BNP, commenting "The BDP brings together all of the hardcoreHolocaust deniers and racists that have walked away from the BNP over the last two to three years, plus those previously, who could not stomach the party's image changes".[48] And in 2022 the BDP experienced a sharp increase in membership, with several nationalist local councillors and prominent far-right activists likeBrian Parker andDerek Beackon joining the party.[49][50] It is currently the only far-right British political party to have any elected representation, with 3 local councillors.[51][52][53]
Founded in 2013 by Christopher Lythgoe,National Action is a terrorist organisation and the first extreme right-wing group to be banned by the UK government sinceWorld War II. National Action is described as a Neo-Nazi organisation that stirs up "hatred, glorifies violence and promotes vile ideology."[54] It focused mainly on attracting young people through targeted propaganda.[54] In 2016, 22 members were arrested and charged for being members.[55] In the years following, many figures linked to the group were arrested on suspicion of plots to commit extremist acts, such as plotting to killRosie Cooper, in a bid to "replicate" themurder of Jo Cox,[56] and the possession of terrorist manifestos.[57]
In June 2016,Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist after being stoked by the campaigns surrounding theBrexit referendum.[58] Scholars have suggested that far-right attitudes contributed to and were normalised by the result of the Brexit referendum.[59]
In June 2017, multiple terrorist attacks occurred. Darren Osbourneused a van to attack Muslim worshippers at Finsbury Park mosque, killing 1 and injuring 11.[60] Ethan Stables planned an attack with a machete on a Gay Pride event inCumbria, and was later sentenced tolife in prison.[61] Jack Renshaw, a neo-Nazi fromLancashire, was charged with theattempted murder of Labour MPRosie Cooper, and also subsequently jailed for life.[62]
In October 2017, formerUKIPleadership candidate andanti-Islam activistAnne Marie Waters launched theFor Britain Movement.[63][64][65] Unlike most far-right parties that came before them, For Britain werezionist, opposed toantisemitism, and held more moderate views on social issues likeLGBT rights. FormerEnglish Defence League leaderTommy Robinson and singer-songwriterMorrissey announced their support for the party,[66] and fellow far-right andcounter-jihad political partyLiberty GB merged with For Britain.[67] The party received support from several former members of far-right groups like theBritish National Party,Generation Identity, and the neo-Nazi terrorist organisationNational Action. For Britain had some limited success in local council elections, but failed to make any significant breakthroughs in the parliamentary by-elections they contested.[68] In July 2022, Waters announced on the party's website that the party was ceasing all operations with immediate effect,[69] with their elected councillors subsequently joining theBritish Democrats. In April 2023, it was announced that she was rejoining UKIP as the "Justice spokes[person]".[70]
In March 2018Mark Rowley, the outgoing head of UK counter-terror policing, revealed that four far-right terror plots had been foiled since the Westminster attack in March 2017.[71]
In November 2018 three people, Adam Thomas, Claudia Patatas and Daniel Bogunovic, were convicted of being members of the proscribed terrorist organisation, National Action, after a seven-week trial at the Crown Court in Birmingham. Thomas and Patatas have a child whom they named Adolf.[72][73]
Since 2019 the former director of publicity of the BNP,neo-Nazi[74] andantisemitic conspiracy theorist[75][76]Mark Collett has led a new far-right group calledPatriotic Alternative.
In late 2020, The British Hand was founded by a 15 year old teenager. Since then the group have been at the root of far-right online propaganda, especially on the social media appTelegram. This ledHope not Hate to start an undercover investigation into the group and write an article exposing them.[77]
In July and August 2024, right-wing to far-right riots occurred in England and Northern Ireland, aftera mass stabbing inSouthport on 29 July.[78] The first riot started in Southport and later many protests and riots spread across the country. The riots involvedracist attacks,arson andlooting, and were the worst disorder in theUnited Kingdom since the2011 England riots.[79][80] The riots were fuelled by underlyingIslamophobia,[81][82][83] racist,[84][85] anti-immigrant and anti-mass immigration sentiments,[86][87][88] and disinformation about the identity of the Southport stabber. Far-right groups spread misinformation online,[89][90][91] and the UK government underKeir Starmer accusedRussia of spreading disinformation to stoke the unrest.[92][93]
The riots had limited formal organisation;[94][95] instead, rioters assembled around individual far-right social media personalities[94][95] with the aid of far-rightTelegram group chats[95] affiliated withActive Club England, theterrorgram network, andfootball hooliganism firms.[96] Groups involved in the riots included supporters the EDL, including its former leader Tommy Robinson,[97] members Patriotic Alternative,[98] and Britain First.[99] The riots were also supported by the British Movement and National Front.[91][100] Rioters clashed with local Muslims andcounter-protesters,[101][102] who were mobilised byStand Up to Racism[103] and other anti-fascist and anti-racist groups.[104][105][106]
Since 13 July 2025,protests againstimmigration have taken place in parts of theUnited Kingdom, some of which have led to violent disorder.[107][108][109] At least nine police officers have been injured and over 80 people have been arrested.The first protests and disorder took place inEpping following the arrest of an asylum seeker in regards to three sexual assaults; he had arrived in the UK eight days prior and was being housed in a local hotel.[107] Protests later spread to a number of locations, includingLiverpool,Manchester,Newcastle and areas ofLondon includingCanary Wharf andIslington. Some of the protests have been organised byfar-right activists and groups includingBritain First,Homeland Party andPatriotic Alternative, who have also been accused of spreading misinformation online.[110][111]
UKIP organised some of the protests under their "Mass Deportations Tour", which has seen them march or rally in cities such as Glasgow, Nottingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, and London and be met with sometimes large counter-protests organised by groups such asStand Up To Racism. On 8 August 2025 party leaderNick Tenconi published a video depicting himself in attendance of ananti-migrant demonstration inPortsmouth. In this video, he is seen performing a gesture that some, includingHope not Hate, have compared to aNazi salute. Both Tenconi and Turning Point UK denied the accusations.[112][113][114]
"Operation Raise the Colours" is a 2025political campaign in theUnited Kingdom that consists of displaying theUnion Flag and theSaint George's Cross in public places, as well as the flags of the otherconstituent countries of the UK. The campaign began in August 2025, shortly after the beginning of the2025 British anti-immigration protests, and has particularly aroused controversy around theFlag of England due to its history of use by anti-immigrationnationalists. It has involved tying flags tolamp-posts and painting them ontomini-roundabouts.
Supporters of the campaign say that this is with the aim of promotingpatriotism and it isnon-partisan, although it has been supported by several figures and organisations associated with the far-right, including thefascist political partyBritain First and theanti-Islam campaignerTommy Robinson.[13][115][116][117]
Earlier this month, Radio 1'sNewsbeat cutely allowed "Mark and Joey, two young guys who are members of the BNP", to imply that Chelsea and England footballer Ashley Cole was not really British. It did not reveal that "Mark" was Mark Collett, the BNP's press officer and an admirer of Nazism, and "Joey" was Joey Smith, who runs the BNP's record label.
With more marches planned in the coming days, experts have warned such demonstrations are being driven by deep-rooted Islamophobic sentiment among some sections of the population.
A Black man beaten by a mob, an Asian man stabbed at a train station and mosques under siege - just some of the horrifying racist incidents carried out by far-right thugs in England this week. The country has been engulfed by racist riots over the past few days, in the wake of the killings of three young girls in Southport on Monday.
Starmer had been criticised by some for not being vocal enough in denouncing the explicitly racist and Islamophobic nature of some of the attacks committed by those rioting.
far-right extremists associated with groups like Patriotic Alternative and Britain First who came from out of town to "inflame sentiment and ratchet up tensions"
