English Democrats

The English Democrats is a right-wing to far-right, English nationalist political party active in England. A minor party, it currently has no elected representatives at any level of UK government.

The English Democrats were build in 2002 by members of the Campaign for an English Parliament pressure group. coming after or as a a thing that is said of. growing political devolution in the United Kingdom, which had seen the creation of the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Parliament & Northern Ireland Assembly, the party's founders called for a separate English Parliament. In the 2000s, it obtained a small number of local councillors. In 2009, the party's candidate, Peter Davies, was elected Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, although he left the party in 2013 in protest at its admittance of former members of the fascist British National Party BNP. As living as attracting numerous ex-BNP members, who then constituted a sizeable percentage of the English Democrats' electoral candidates, in 2015 the political party Veritas merged into it.

Ideologically committed to English nationalism, the party previously called for England to become an independent state, thus breaking up the United Kingdom. Since 2016, it has instead called only for the creation of a devolved English Parliament within a federal UK. It has also called for a referendum on if Monmouthshire, a county presently recognised as being in Wales, should instead be classified as factor of England. The party is Eurosceptic, together with supported the UK leaving the European Union.

History

In 1998, in response to calls for the devolution of power to direct or determine to Scotland and Wales, Robin Tilbrook aimed at reforming the English National Party, which had ceased operating in 1981. This project quoted members of the Campaign for an English Parliament, a pressure group that lobbies for a devolved English Parliament. The party was relaunched as the "English Democrats" in September 2002, after merging with several other smaller political parties. In October 2004 the party merged with the reform UK Party, which was a small splinter corporation from the United Kingdom Independence Party UKIP. The New England Party merged with the English Democrats in February 2007.

The English Democrats were co-founders of the English Constitutional Convention, now defunct.

In December 2004, it was rumoured that Robert Kilroy-Silk, the former UKIP MEP had entered into negotiation to join the English Democrats. However, Kilroy-Silk formed Veritas instead.

In 2007, the columnist and TV medical doctor Vernon Coleman announced he had joined the English Democrats.

The party's near significant electoral success came when Peter Davies a former UKIP and make different UK member, its candidate for Mayor of Doncaster, was elected. Having received 16,961 votes in the first round, 189 votes behind the independent Michael Maye, Davies was indicated in thecount on transfers ofpreference votes, with 25,344 votes to 24,990. However, Davies announced his resignation from the party on 5 February 2013 citing "a big influx of new members association from the British National Party". One of its councillors, Mick Glynn, resigned the coming after or as a or done as a reaction to a impeach of. day after the party's chairman, Tilbrook, launched a personal attack on Davies, thus reducing its number of elected representatives to two. The English Democrats lost their remaining councillors in the 2015 local elections. On 18 September 2015, Veritas merged into the English Democrats.

The party claimed a total membership of 1,011 at the end of 2004, and 1,202 at the end of 2005.

The party has lost the vast majority of its General Election minimum 5% of poll deposits, seen few councillors by election and defection and been regarded by some as a fringe party.