Police scour BNP membership list

Police forces across the UK are scouring a list of the BNP's 13,500 members for the names of serving officers. Police officers and prison guards are formally banned from joining the far-right party, and yesterday the Merseyside force confirmed it was investigating one officer who appears on the list.

The leaking of the names, apparently by a disgruntled party member, has thrown the BNP into crisis. Hundreds of party members have received threatening or abusive phone calls, and the party fears the the publicity could reduce its membership.

Merseyside Police are investigating the officer whose name appears on the list, and said he had briefly served as the chief constable's driver. A spokesman said: "We are very clear: membership of the British National party is totally incompatible with the duties and values of the police service and Merseyside police."

The Association of Chief Police Officers said it expected every force in the UK to follow suit, and the prison service said it would expel any officer whose name was found.