MPs 'pleased' at BNP's failure

MPs are "very pleased" that the British National Party failed to win a single Commons seat at the general election, Harriet Harman said today.

There were loud cheers across the House as the acting Labour leader highlighted the electoral failure of the far-right party.

The BNP failed to win a seat despite fielding more than 300 candidates.

During her speech following the re-election of Commons Speaker John Bercow, Ms Harman pledged her party would be a "strong, effective, self-confident and determined Opposition".

And to roars of approval, she said: "We all have our differences in this House but all of us are united in being very, very, pleased and relieved that there is nowhere on these green benches a member of the British National Party."