BNP leader Nick Griffin looks on as Margaret Hodge delivers her victory speech. (Getty Images)

London, England – It was the BNP's great hope: to gain just one seat in parliament this election.

They didn't even come close.

The BNP's best shot was the London borough of Barking & Dagenham. BNP leader Nick Griffin made a big show of campaigning in the area - promising to put an immediate halt to immigration and painting a picture of an east London under siege, blaming foreign-born residents for a lack of housing, jobs and faltering social services. Critics called it a "prejudiced and bigoted" campaign.

Clearly, the BNP campaign did not convince voters. Griffin was soundly beaten by incumbent Labour MP Margaret Hodge by a wide margin. In fact, the BNP came in third in Barking after the Conservative Party. And Hodge had some choice words for Griffin in her victory speech:

"The lesson from Barking to the BNP is clear: Get out and stay out, you're not wanted here and your vile politics have no place in British democracy. Pack your bags and go," she said to cheers and applause from both Labour and Conservative supporters.

Griffin responded with a vow to defend "indigenous" Britons: “Within the next five years the indigenous people of London will be in a minority in our own capital city. This is a wake-up call not just for London, but a wake-up call for the whole of Britain.”

But Griffin may not be around for long. He is now under pressure for BNP's disastrous performance, but has not said whether he would resign as leader of the party.

As he left the vote count last night, he was booed by rival party agents and there were a handful of shouting anti-BNP protesters outside.

But nothing spoke louder than the ballot papers: a resounding "no" to the BNP.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Atika Shubert
Filed under: Immigration

BNP candidate Nick Griffin talks to the press in Barking (CNN)

London, England – The Battle for Barking seems to be coming to an end. And Labour candidate Margaret Hodge is predicting a "thrashing" victory over British National Party candidate Nick Griffin.

The votes are still being counted but Nick Griffin concedes this will likely not be the year the BNP gets a seat in parliament.

Not surprising, perhaps. The BNP has been dealing with infighting inside party ranks - its online manager took the Web site down briefly on the last day of campaigning in an internal dispute - and a downright hostile reaction to its campaign on the streets - including a fist fight between one BNP candidate and local youths.

The BNP was betting that local disappointment with Labour would translate into BNP votes. But that may not be the case when it comes to a parliament seat. How the BNP fares in the local election, however, may be a different matter.

Turnout has been good: 62 percent in Barking and 64 percent in Dagenham. The votes have been verified and the real counting is now under way. We'll soon find out just how much of a "thrashing" the BNP will get.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Atika Shubert
Filed under: General •Immigration

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Atika Shubert
Filed under: Election •General •Immigration

Here I am talking to BNP leader Nick Griffin.

Barking and Dagenham, London – Spending your Sunday following the British National Party is an eye-opening experience. And it’s pretty tough on the ears too. It seems wherever the BNP goes, arguments follow especially in their political stronghold of Barking and Dagenham, East London.

I've heard a number of descriptions of what is arguably Britain's most controversial political party: "Far right," "racist," "nazi," "nationalist," "anti-immigration" to name a few descriptions.

Up until this year, the BNP was an all-white party barring all "non-indigenous" Britons from joining. That changed when the courts forced the BNP to accept other ethnicities and religions.

The BNP is campaigning largely on a platform to stop immigration altogether. The BNP's biggest concern is what it sees as an attack on the British way of life – and indigenous white Britons – unless immigration is halted immediately.

Its manifesto says that legal immigrants and ethnic minorities that are already in Britain have the right to stay as long as they accept the majority rule of "indigenous Britons". BNP leader, Nick Griffin, is a controversial figure who has faced several charges of incitement to racial hatred: convicted once and cleared of the other charges.

To be clear, the BNP is a very small, fringe political party in the British elections. But it has been making gains. And this year it stands a chance of capturing at least 1 seat in parliament, a breakthrough for the BNP but a nightmare for its many opponents.

So, spending just a few hours with the BNP was enough to provoke some strong reaction on the streets: You can watch my package here:

I also thought I’d post video of what we shot following the BNP. Our television story condenses what we saw into a four-minute piece. But here you can see more of the raw material and street reactions to the BNP.

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Posted by: CNN Correspondent Atika Shubert
Filed under: Immigration

Gordon Brown’s “bigoted woman” gaffe could spell political disaster for Labour.

Why? Well, 65-year-old widow Gillian Duffy - who Brown called a "bigoted woman" – raised the issue of immigration, a big issue for many voters but one which hasn’t really been addressed in depth during the election campaign.

In many parts of the country, people feel immigration is putting too much of a strain on public housing, medical care and schools.

But they feel their concerns are being ignored by the main parties in favor of “political correctness” and a commitment to multiculturalism.

I met a lot of voters this week in East London, where the far-right British National Party is making much play of its anti-immigration policy. Many people didn’t consider themselves racist or bigoted but said they wanted to see a change.  Read and watch my report from Barking and Dagenham

One man told me: “I think it's because of the amount of immigrants, particularly in this area. people are fed up with it,” one man told me. “Tighter controls. it's got to stop. It's just a small island we live on. It's too many people here.”

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Posted by: CNN Correspondent Atika Shubert
Filed under: Election •Immigration

London, England - Who was it who said: “Lies, damned lies and statistics?” When it comes to elections, statistics, polls and surveys all come out in full force.

This blog entry from The Spectator caught my eye. They say data from the recent Labour Force Survey shows 99 percent of new jobs in the UK are accounted for by immigration. See the link for their research and sources.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Atika Shubert
Filed under: Immigration

Immigrants to the United Kingdom take an oath before being presented with a certificate of citizenship. AFP/Getty Images

London, England - It is perhaps the most divisive issue in the UK election: Immigration … legal or otherwise.

A recent YouGov poll for The Sun newspaper showed that nearly 70 percent of respondents felt that immigration had a negative impact on the country.

In 2008, net immigration into the UK was 163,000. 68 percent of respondents said that number was far too high.

In fact, 83 percent of people wanted to put a cap on immigration. 80 percent wanted to see more illegal immigrants deported.

I’ll be looking at immigration, not just in the UK but across Europe. How do the numbers break down? Where are most of the immigrants coming from and why? What is the impact on the economy and social services?

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Atika Shubert
Filed under: Immigration