Patricia Richardson (politician)

Patricia Richardson (politician)

Patricia Feldman Richardson is a British politician, most notable as the British National Party’s first Jewish candidate, though she does not practise Judaism. Richardson says the party is not anti-Semitic or racist. She grew up in Stoke Newington; her father came from Romania while her mother was born in London's East End, of Lithuanian descent.

In 2004, she won a seat on Epping Forest district council, representing the Loughton Fairmead ward with a narrow majority of 13. Her husband, also a BNP candidate, won the nearby ward of Debden Broadway.

In the 2008 local elections, she was elected in the Loughton Broadway ward, covering part of the Debden council estate, with a majority of 123 over Labour. Her old Fairmead seat was lost heavily to the Loughton Residents Association.

From 2009, she was the leader of the BNP group on the local council, but in 2012 local elections lost her seats in both the District and Town Councils.

Under her leadership, the BNP has campaigned against Muslim prayer meetings in Loughton, claiming in a leaflet approved by her (the Epping Forest Patriot) that the community hall used will be turned into a mosque. Following allegations of abduction and firebomb attack on his home, the prayer meeting's organiser accused the BNP. He has subsequently been questioned by police on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Richardson said the BNP was not behind the alleged attacks and told The Guardian, "Firebombing is not a British method. A brick through the window is a British method."

She was the BNP candidate for Epping Forest in the 2010 general election.