The South Somerset and Sedgemoor British National Party branch held its largest meeting ever in the Yeovil area earlier this week to hear a trio of invited speakers address topics as wide ranging as global warming, the war in Afghanistan and the general election.

Mr Robert Baehr (pictured), a local environmentalist, party spokesman and candidate, spoke on climate change while a former soldier who had served in Afghanistan provided a firsthand account of events there.

Plans were also laid for increasing party activity in the town. Arrangements regarding a prospective parliamentary candidate will be finalised next month and then campaigning will begin in earnest.

The party has maintained an electoral presence in the town for several years. Results in the area, evidenced by the Euro elections, indicate significantly increasing support for the party in this rural area.

This development has proved disconcerting for the local Lib-Dem and Tory political establishment which has turned a blind eye to the controversial issue of imported EU labour taking local jobs. Many of these “EU citizens” are Brazilians and Angolans who have Portuguese citizenship.