The British National Party’s modernization strategy didn’t appeal to voters, and its activist and membership base is shrinking by the day. But public hostility toward immigration means the prospects for the far right remain strong

Faced with a climate of public hostility over immigration, the far right British National Party (BNP) could not have chosen a more promising time to launch an electoral strategy than when Nick Griffin took leadership in 1999. Though the party failed to connect with voters over the long term, as Dr Matthew Goodwin discusses, there remains considerable potential for a more articulate successor.