Exhausted, sad, and dejected: Britain First rules out contesting general election

‘We would stand in seats and do terribly’

Hard times for Britain First. Having concluded their woeful London mayoral campaign — in which their candidate Nick Scanlon gained 0.8% of the vote, losing to the joke entrant Count Binface — the far-right party has now announced it will not stand anyone in the upcoming general election.

Why? Britain First leader Paul Golding, who is prone to heralding his party’s forever impending success, has been unusually candid about the state of his party on recent live streams.

“We’re not ready to mount a serious effort,” he said in an official party video. He has ruled out participating in the summer election. “We are exhausted, physically. Our donor base is exhausted, financially… We would stand in seats and do terribly. We’re going to skip this general election. We don’t have the resources, manpower, finances to put up even more than a half-arsed campaign. We’re just not at that level yet.”

Golding has repeatedly been complaining of “fatigue” following the London mayoral campaign:

“It really did exhaust us to the point of insanity. Months and months and months of hardcore electioneering, we were at it non-stop. The pressure, the stress, trying to raise the money to get everything together, the paperwork, trying to get the signatures in, travelling around 32 London boroughs. We’re exhausted, we’re knackered.”

Paul Golding, leader of Britain First

Despite all this, they only received an embarrassing share of the vote: less than one percent. As previously reported, the only candidate Britain First was capable of beating is best known for drinking his own urine.

Instead Golding has pledged to stand “30-40” candidates in the local council elections next year. How will he fare? If the last three years (since Britain First was re-registered by the Electoral Commission) are anything to go by, it will be yet another ballot-box disaster.

Perhaps Paul Golding’s complaint about exhausted donor bases has something to do with his constant email spamming begging for money? The latest fundraiser was announced on May 21, when Golding demanded his supporters give him £8,000 to have his party’s accounts audited and submitted to the elections regulator.

Maybe some of that money is going towards a more pressing issue. Britain First, it was also announced on May 21, must pay £1,875 to the Electoral Commission for failing to deliver its 2022 accounts on time. The fine would have been £1,500 — but the party missed the first payment deadline.

Fined, failing, and tired — Britain First’s supporters may well wonder if Paul Golding is really worth an hour more of their time and a penny more of their money.

For more information on Britain First, read our report: Britain First: Dysfunctional, Dangerous and in our Communities