Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, was barred from attending a garden party at Buckingham Palace yesterday after being accused of using the event for "overtly" political purposes.
The far-right leader, had been invited to the event hosted by the Queen, in his capacity as a Member of the European Parliament and had been expected to attend with his wife and children.
But in an eleventh hour decision, announced just hours before guests began arriving, Palace officials said his invitation had been revoked.
It was claimed Mr Griffin, who represents North West England in the European Parliament, had been using his attendance at the event to promote the BNP after giving a television interview and posting a message on his party’s website describing the invitation as “highly symbolic”.
Palace officials said his actions had raised security concerns and could cause discomfort for other attendees.
A Palace spokesman said: “Nick Griffin MEP will be denied entry to today's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace due to the fact he has overtly used his personal invitation for Party political purposes through the media
“This in turn has increased the security threat and the potential discomfort to the many other guests also attending.
“Mr Griffin's personal invitation was issued to him as an elected Member of the European Parliament. The decision to deny him entry is not intended to show any disrespect to the democratic process by which the invitation was issued.
“However, we would apply the same rules to anyone who tried to blatantly politicise their attendance in this way.”
Mr Griffin condemned the decision as an “outrage” and "anti-British" and accused the Government of orchestrating the move.
The BNP leader said: “This is quite amazing news. At no time was I informed that I wasn't allowed to talk to the media about this. Other people have talked about attending. Why a double standard here?
“To say that one person in the country cannot speak to the media is an outrage.”
He added: “The move has obviously been made under pressure from the ConDem regime who are desperate for any reason to bar the BNP. I am held to a different standard to everyone else in the country – that is thoroughly anti-British.”
But his inclusion on the 8,000 strong guest list had already caused controversy with many mainstream politicians condemning the invitation.
In the Commons Tory MP Julian Lewis said Mr Griffin should have never been invited to the Palace in the first place.
He said some people did not wish to "rub shoulders with neo-Nazis" at garden parties.
Andrew Brons, the BNP’s MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, was allowed to attend the event after Palace officials said he had not sought to make political capital out of his invitation.
Last night the Palace’s handling of the affair was under the spotlight with some suggesting it had resulted in a publicity boost for the party.
As well as the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, other members of the Royal Family attending included the Duke of York, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
Mr Griffin, who was eligible for a ticket as an elected MEP, was invited last year as a guest of party colleague Richard Barnbrook – a member of the London Assembly – but pulled out after a public outcry.
A Unite Against Fascism spokesman said they were delighted by the Palace's decision to bar Mr Griffin.
He added: "I think this is a fantastic decision that's been taken. the invitation in the first place was a blow for those who suffered in the Holocaust and more recently those who have suffered at the hands of racists and homophobes.
"The fact he was invited anyway is a little bit concerning. The Palace needs to understand and the establishment in general, who are giving these privileges, that the whole point of him being so excited about going is because it gives him the chance to legitimise himself."
The decision was taken by a handful of the most senior members of the Royal household, including Christopher Geidt, the Queen's private secretary, who took advice from the Metropolitan Police about the possibility of Mr Griffin's attendance causing public disorder outside the Palace.
One Royal source denied the decision - which gave Mr Griffin blanket coverage on TV news channels - had backfired, saying: "He got an awful lot of publicity before we said he wouldn't be allowed in, and we've got to look at the bigger picture. He was turning it into a party political statement.
"We had a lot of information about marches and people protesting outside the railings, and also we have to think about how it's going to affect the other people at the garden party.
"We couldn't make this decision any earlier because we had to wait and see how much mileage he was getting out of it. It wasn't a decision which was against the BNP, because we had Andrew Brons inside the garden, who didn't try to use it for publicity. If Nick Griffin had done the same he might have been enjoying tea with the family.
"A lot of people at the party said they were glad he wasn't there because they wanted their visit to be about them, not Mr Griffin."
The Telegraph
