BNP suffers a drop in donations for the dead

In the dead: BNP suffers drop in donations from wills - Credit: PA Archive/PA Images

The British National Party’s bank accounts are running dry due to a drop in donations from the dead.

The far-right party has seen its donations almost halve in 12 months receiving £155,828 in 2017 compared with £297,028 in 2016.

The biggest drop in donations came from legacy income – money left to the party in wills – which was down from £256,202 to £110,000.

The party also suffered a dip in cash from membership and subscription fees to their ‘exclusive dining club’ – the Trafalgar Club.

The double whammy on the BNP’s bank account hints at a lack of appetite for the extremist party from both the dead and living.

Although general donations increased slightly from £40,826 to £45,828, the party’s total income dropped from £416,533 to £229,665.

Clive Jefferson, the BNP’s national treasurer, said: ‘Our general donation income has stayed consistent but as the accounts show the big variation this year has been in legacy income, though still considerable, was down from 2016.

‘However the indications are that legacy income will continue to be a large contributing factor in the future of our movement.

‘Although there has been a drop in membership income during 2017, we have seen membership figures start to rise again and I expect 2018 to show an increase in membership of the party.’