Patricia Richardson (politician)
Patricia Richardson (née Feldman, 1944/1945[2] – 2022/2023[3]) was a British politician, most notable as the British National Party's first Jewish candidate, though she did not practise Judaism. In 2004, Richardson said the party was not anti-Semitic.
Patricia Richardson | |
|---|---|
| Epping Forest District Councillor for Loughton Broadway | |
| In office 1 May 2008 – 3 May 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Richardson |
| Succeeded by | Leon Girling |
| Epping Forest District Councillor for Loughton Fairmead | |
| In office 10 June 2004 – 1 May 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Albert Farren |
| Succeeded by | David Wixley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Patricia Feldman 1944 or 1945 Stoke Newington, Greater London, England |
| Died | 2022 or 2023 (aged 77–79) |
| Political party | For Britain Movement[1] |
| Other political affiliations | British National Party |
| Spouse | Thomas Richardson |
Early life
She grew up in Stoke Newington, close to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Stamford Hill, as the youngest of three sisters.[2] Her father, Abraham Feldman, came from Romania, while her mother, Fay Groner, was born in the East End of London, and was of Lithuanian descent.[4] Her father died of a burst ulcer when she was 16, leaving her religiously Jewish mother to raise her and her siblings in Chingford.
Political career
BNP
In the 2004 local elections, she won a seat on Epping Forest District Council, representing the Loughton Fairmead ward with a narrow majority of 13. Her husband, Thomas Richardson, also a BNP candidate, won the nearby ward of Loughton Broadway.[4][5]
In the 2008 local elections, she was elected in the Loughton Broadway ward, covering part of the Debden council estate, with a majority of 123 over Labour. Her old Fairmead seat was lost heavily to the Loughton Residents Association.[6]
From 2009, she was the leader of the BNP group on the local council,[7] but in the 2012 local elections lost her seats in both the district and town councils. She also served on Loughton Town Council 2008-12.
Under her leadership, the BNP campaigned against Muslim prayer meetings in Loughton, claiming in a leaflet approved by her (the Epping Forest Patriot) that the community hall used would be turned into a mosque. Following allegations of abduction and a firebomb attack on his home, the prayer meeting's organiser accused the BNP. He was subsequently questioned by police on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Richardson said the BNP was not behind the alleged attacks and told The Guardian, "Firebombing is not a British method. A brick through the window is a British method."[8]
She was the BNP candidate for Epping Forest in the 2010 general election.
For Britain
In the 2019 local elections, Richardson stood in Waltham Abbey Honey Lane ward for the For Britain Movement, coming second to the Conservative Sam Kane. She contested the same ward in 2021, finishing third.
Elections contested
UK Parliament elections
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Epping Forest | BNP | 1,982 | 4.3 | Not elected (4th)[9] | |
Essex County Council elections
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Loughton Central | BNP | 768 | 9.9 | Not elected (4th) | |
| 2009 | Waltham Abbey | BNP | 1,072 | 21.0 | Not elected (2nd) | |
| 2013 | Waltham Abbey | BNP | 87 | 2.6 | Not elected (6th) | |
Epping Forest District Council elections
| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Loughton Fairmead | BNP | 258 | 26.6 | Elected | |
| 2008 | Loughton Broadway | BNP | 469 | 39.7 | Elected | |
| 2012 | Loughton Broadway | BNP | 94 | 11.3 | Not elected (4th) | |
| 2019 | Waltham Abbey Honey Lane | For Britain | 250 | 23.0 | Not elected (2nd) | |
| 2021 | Waltham Abbey Honey Lane | For Britain | 242 | 18.1 | Not elected (3rd) | |
| 2022 | Loughton Broadway | For Britain | 16 | 2.0 | Not elected (4th) | |
References
- "Anti-racism campaigner takes aim at new nationalist party filled with ex-BNP members". 17 August 2018.
- "Why I'm in the BNP". 13 April 2012.
- "Coucil Meeting" (PDF). Loughton Town Coucil.
- Leslie Bunder (11 June 2004). "BNP Jewish win". Something Jewish. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- "2004 election: Ward Results". Epping Forest District Council. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
- "BNP win three Epping Forest seats". BBC News. 11 June 2004. - "Your Councillors by Party". Epping Forest District Council. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
- BNP: Voice of Freedom no. 70, p5
- Vikram Dodd, "Muslim man claims he was kidnapped at knifepoint over prayer sessions", The Guardian, 27 August 2009, p4
- Viktam Dodd, "Community leader arrested after BNP attack allegations", The Guardian, 4 September 2009. (Online version "Police arrest Muslim community leader who claimed he was abducted by racists", 3 September 2009.) - The Guardian: "How Britain voted" supplement, 8 May 2010
External links
- Christopher Walker (11 May 2004). "I'm no 'fig leaf' insists BNP's first Jewish candidate". The Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2011.
- Leslie Bunder (11 June 2004). "BNP Jewish win". Something Jewish. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004.
- "LADIES IN THE FRONTLINE" (PDF). Voice of Freedom. BNP. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2006.