BNP aide admits doing party work during City Hall hours

A BNP AIDE today admitted he does work for the far-Right party while being paid a City Hall salary.

Simon Darby, the personal assistant to British National Party London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook, made the admission a day after threatening whoever had leaked a list of party members on the internet.

After the leak Mr Darby said that those responsible should not be "sleeping very well tonight" as "it will turn out to be one of the most foolish things they have done in their life".

Mr Darby, who earns nearly £16,000 for a 22-hour working week, said he would often carry out BNP business at his London Assembly office but said that he would then "make up the time later". He said: "I do work part-time for the GLA and I have to put in 22.5 hours a week. I am not circumscribed by political restrictions."

However he denied using City Hall computers, paper or phone lines, saying he used his own laptop and internet connection.

"I don't need an office," he said.

"I can do [BNP] work on the train, I can work in my car. What do you expect?

"When a BNP member is elected, they're not going to have a Communist or Liberal Democrat working for them."

Mr Darby was interviewed by a panel of members of the authority before he was given the job as personal assistant to Mr Barnbrook.

One of the criteria was that he should be able to "promote equality of opportunity" at the assembly. Staff earning less than about £35,000 are not subject to restrictions which make it illegal for them to express political views, but work unrelated to their job should be carried out in their "personal time".

Today other assembly members were in cross-party talks over whether to make a formal complaint calling for his suspension.

If a complaint is made by the members or a member of the public it will first be referred to the standards sub-committee and will ultimately be a decision for the new chief executive of the Greater London Authority, Leo Boland.

One member of staff at City Hall said: "What concerns a lot of people is that he is here being paid for by the public purse. I think we're on quite dangerous ground."

So far a radio DJ has already lost his job after his name appeared upon the leaked BNP membership list. Police forces have also been told to check the list as officers are banned from being BNP members.

A member of the assembly said: "We are having talks and will decide whether to take further action."

Yesterday Mr Barnbrook allegedly strode out of a lunchtime meeting with other assembly members after one referred to him as a "Nazi".