Wikipedia Deep Dive

Britain First

8 min read

In the summer of 2011, a small group of former BNP members launched a website called "British Resistance" from a base in Belfast. The timing was deliberate—May 2011 marked the beginning of a new political experiment that would soon morph into Britain First, an organisation that polarised British politics and sparked intense debate about the boundaries of free speech online.

Britain First emerged from the shadows of the British National Party (BNP), which had long been Britain's most controversial far-right political entity. The group's founder, Jim Dowson—a Scottish Christian fundamentalist who ran a call centre in Dundonald, East Belfast for the BNP—brought with him not just political ambition but a network of connections to Ulster loyalist groups in Northern Ireland. Dowson was no stranger to controversy: he simultaneously led the UK Life League, an anti-abortion campaign, and served as a fundraiser for the BNP until October 2010, when his tenure ended abruptly after accusations that he had grooved a female activist. The accusation hung over the organisation like a shadow, adding to the mystique that surrounded its leadership.

The co-leaders who stepped into the spotlight were Paul Golding—a former BNP district councillor in Sevenoaks, Kent, who served from 2009–2011 and held the position of Communications Officer—and Ashlea Simon, who would become a central figure in the party's public facing operations. Jayda Fransen, later deputy leader, would become one of the most recognisable faces associated with the group.

A Vile Proposition: Ideology and Actions

Britain First positioned itself as an Islamophobic organisation that campaigned primarily against British Muslims and multiculturalism. Its core belief was the preservation of what it saw as traditional British culture—a notion wrapped in nationalism, religious zealotry, and a deep suspicion of diversity.

The group gained attention through direct action. "Christian patrols"—armed demonstrations outside mosques—and "invasions" of British mosques became its trademark methods of confrontation. These were not quiet political campaigns; they were deliberately provocative gestures designed to intimidate and dominate public space. The group's structure mirrored that of Ulster loyalist organisations in Northern Ireland, with a political wing backed by what it called the "Britain First Defence Force," an action force whose members assumed titles like "provost marshal." In a document written by founder Jim Dowson, he described his experience with characteristic bravado: "I have lived in the worst trouble spots of Belfast; I have had high powered machine gun fire rip bricks from my house and have been injured by grenade attack. Sometimes we had to defend our homes from the traditional enemy, other times from the forces of the state, the police and army."

The rhetoric was clear: Britain First presented itself as a defender of British identity against perceived threats. But what made it distinctive—and dangerous—was its ability to translate ideology into action.

The Digital Mobilisation: Social Media and Virality

Britain First owes much of its influence to the rise of social media. Unlike traditional political parties that relied on door-knocking and leafleting, Britain Next recognised early that platforms like Facebook could be weaponised for recruitment and propaganda.

In November 2015, Britain First announced that its Facebook page had over one million "likes"—more than any other British political party or even the British Prime Minister, David Cameron. The statistic was startling: a fringe group had become an online powerhouse. By October 2017, it had reached two million Facebook followers.

Facebook initially refused to regulate Britain First and similar movements. When pressed on the matter, it simply stated: "Facebook is used by parties and supporters of many political persuasions to campaign for issues they feel passionately about." The statement was an acknowledgement that the platform's algorithms were being exploited, but also a refusal to intervene.

But public pressure continued to mount. In November 2015, after community guidelines were breached, Facebook briefly closed the Britain First page. It later removed two photos published without permission, and the group responded by calling Facebook "fascist"—a characterisation that irony itself had become.

The turning point came in December 2017, when Twitter suspended the accounts of Britain First and its leaders Golding and Fransen after revising its rules on hate speech. When asked to comment, Twitter declined, citing privacy and security reasons. The suspension was followed by Facebook's decision in March 2018 to ban Britain First entirely, stating that it had "broked community guidelines" designed to incite racial hatred.

In its official statement, Facebook said this was due to "repeatedly posted content designed to incite animosity and hatred against minority groups." The response from the political class was overwhelming. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "Britain First is a vile and hate-fuelled group whose sole purpose is to sow division. Their sick intentions to incite hatred within our society via social media are reprehensible, and Facebook's decision to remove their content is welcome."

Electoral Adventures: Failure After Failure

Britain First registered with the Electoral Commission on 10 January 2014, hoping to transform its ideological fury into electoral success. But the party's electoral history was marked by futility.

In November 2017, Britain First was statutorily deregistered as a political party after it failed to renew its registration in time—a technical failure that reflected its organisational fragility. It re-registered in September 2021, but its electoral fortunes remained unchanged.

Britain First contested elections to the House of Commons, the European Parliament, local government, and the mayoralty of London—all unsuccessfully. The party was a political entity that could generate headlines but struggled to translate anger into votes.

In November 2011, Britain First announced the registration of a political party called the "National People's Party," with Golding as leader, Edwards as nominating officer, and McBride as treasurer. However, the Electoral Commission register shows Britain First listed itself from November 2011 as a political party, with no current or past listing for a National People's Party—so it remains unclear whether this was a separate entity or simply a rebranding exercise.

The party also attempted to launch in America in 2014 as "America First"—not to be confused with the America First Party or President Donald Trump's 2018 United States federal budget, America First—but it failed to materialise. This attempt at expansion reflected the group's ambition but also its inability to build sustainable structures beyond British borders.

The Northern Ireland Connection: Loyalty and Division

The party's connections to Ulster loyalist groups in Northern Ireland were more than symbolic. In April 2013, Dowson and Golding launched a new political party in Northern Ireland called the Protestant Coalition.Dowson was registered with the Electoral Commission as its leader, and Golding as its treasurer.

At the launch, Dowson stated that the Coalition had no single leader—a strange admission for an organisation supposedly led by a figurehead. But Golding flew into Belfast in December 2012 to help coordinate protests over the decision by Belfast City Council to limit the flying of the Union Flag over Belfast City Hall.

Dowson was prominent in these protests and at the time of the launch, was awaiting trial for public order offences, as was another of the Coalition's founders, Willie Frazer. The website and logo of the Protestant Coalition closely resembled those of Britain First—neither site explicitly mentioned an organisational link, but the visual continuity was unmistakable.

Fracture: Leadership Crisis and Departures

The departure of Jim Dowson in July 2014 marked a turning point for the group. The Daily Mirror and The Independent reported that Dowson left because of the party's "mosque invasions," which he considered to be "provocative and counterproductive" as well as "unacceptable and unchristian" and "just as bad" as Anjem Choudary—a reference to the radical Islamic preacher who had become a figurehead for anti-Muslim sentiment.

Paul Golding reacted to this by saying that Britain First was, "as far as right-wing organisations go, relatively scandal-free." The party itself denied the Mirror's story, calling it "chief communist newspaper and lover of all things anti-British"—a retort that attempted to cast the departure as a media fabrication rather than an organisational fracture. The party claimed to have published a farewell letter from Dowson, in which he cited fatigue and the safety of his family as reasons to leave.

In January 2019, after a period in prison for religiously aggravated harassment, Jayda Fransen stepped down from her position as deputy leader and left the party completely. Her departure marked another leadership crisis—and signalled the group's inability to retain its most vocal figures.

The Polish Connection: Far Right Outreach

In July 2017, it was reported by BBC News that a string of Britain First videos designed to attract a Polish audience had appeared online—including a video from Jacek Miedlar, a Polish far-right former priest, an interview with a Polish media outlet that had over half a million views, and videos by Polish Britain First supporters encouraging others to support the party.