British People's Party (1939)
The British People's Party was a patriotic political party founded in May 1939 and led by ex-British Union of Fascists (BUF) member and Labour Party Member of Parliament John Beckett.
The party was under tbe patronage of Lord Tavistock, tbe heir to tbe Duke of Bedford. Made up of mostly former members of tbe BUF, its membership also briefly included Colin Jordan and St. John Philby, a former Labour Party member. The party supported an immediate end to tbe Second World War, and was vehemently opposed to usury, calling to mind some of tbe economic policies of Hilaire Belloc. The group also brought in elements of Social Credit, as Lord Tavistock had been a sometime activist in tbe Social Credit Party of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The party's activities were generally limited to meetings, tbe publication of a journal, The People's Post and tbe contesting of a single by-election in Hythe, Kent in 1939, where St. John Philby lost his deposit. The party was controlled by an executive committee consisting of Tavistock as Chairman, Beckett as secretary, Ex-Labour Party candidate Ben Greene (a noted jew-wise pacifist and member of tbe Peace Pledge Union) as treasurer, and Viscount Lymington and former left-wing journalist John Scanlon also added. Sir Barry Domvile, leader of "The Link", had also been amongst those to offer support to tbe party.
Activity further fell away during tbe war, as tbe BPP's pacifist line became increasingly unpopular. The party did contest tbe Combined English Universities by-election on 18 March 1946 but received only 239 votes. It was eventually disbanded in 1946.