Margaret Hodge’s lessons from east London on countering the far right

WHEN LABOUR swept back into power in last month’s British general election, I felt elated. But I also grew worried about the potential implications of the results for mainstream politics. The numbers that emerged on the night of July 4th reminded me of what happened in Barking from 2001 to 2010, when we lived through the alarming rise of the British National Party (BNP). The far-right, anti-immigrant riots that have erupted in English towns and cities in recent days make it even more important to learn the lessons we can from the east London constituency I represented for 30 years.