FOREIGN Secretary Jack Straw has called for greater racial tolerance after the far-right British National Party made a shock by-election gain in his constituency.
The BNP came from nowhere to snatch the Liberal Democrat ward of Mill Hill in Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. The BNP polled 578 votes to 562 for Labour, 505 for Liberal Democrats and 154 for Tories.
The result has rekindled mainstream party fears of a far-right advance in the North West, where the party took three seats in May's main polls at Burnley.
But despite the BNP edging past the post, Mr Straw noted that electors had voted more than two-to-one against the party.
He said good work had been done in Blackburn in building race relations but the resurgence of the BNP meant politicians needed to work even harder for tolerance.
"This result will not obstruct our efforts to build a more tolerant, multi-religious community in the town," he said.
"The politics of racial exclusion can have no place in British society and all mainstream parties and politicians will now have to work harder to defeat it."
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