Traditional Britain Group

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Traditional Britain Group
AbbreviationTBG
Formation2001
PurposeTraditionalist conservatism
Location
  • United Kingdom
President
Merlin Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley
Websitehttps://traditionalbritain.org

The Traditional Britain Group (TBG) is a far-right British pressure group which describes itself as traditionalist conservative, High Tory[1] and a "home to the disillusioned patriot".[2][3] It was founded in 2001 by Gregory Lauder-Frost, former officer of the Conservative pressure group the Monday Club and Vice-President of the Western Goals Institute (WGI). In July 2019, Lauder-Frost was convicted and fined £300 for racially abusing a 21-year-old student on social media.[4][5] Merlin Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley is its President.[6]

Advocacy group Hope not Hate says that the TBG is part of a UK-wide network linked to the European alt-right.[7] Private Eye has described the TBG as far-right, and a successor to the WGI.[8]

History and ideology[]

The TBG was founded in 2001, and has a broad set of aims and objectives. It opposes non-white immigration to the UK and, prior to Brexit, it opposed the UK's European Union membership.[9][10][11] The organisation's stated principles include opposition to egalitarianism; the centrality of the heterosexual family as the primary social unit; traditional Christian values and maintaining the Church of England to be England's established church; rolling back the welfare state; and opposition to immigration, multiculturalism, political correctness and Marxism.[12] TBG is in favour of state-sponsored repatriation. Their Facebook page carried a post calling for the deportation of Doreen Lawrence (who Lauder-Frost has described as a "spiv"[9]) and "millions of others ... to their natural homelands".[13]

Speakers[]

The group came to prominence after it was announced that Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured) spoke as guest of honour in 2013. He later called his attendance 'a mistake'.

TBG has been addressed by speakers such as Simon Heffer and Sir Roger Scruton.[1] In 2011, Gerard Batten (former leader of the UK Independence Party) spoke at the group's annual dinner; upon his election as leader, UKIP said Batten "does not share the views of TBG. He is invited by many organisations to speak and TBG had a list of reputable speakers such as Simon Heffer previous to his invitation. Since he attended things have come to light. He would not consider a further invitation."[14][15] TBG came to national prominence when Liberal Conspiracy revealed that Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg spoke as a guest of honour at the TBG's 2013 annual dinner. This led to criticism three months later of Rees-Mogg, who then said that he had not properly checked the organisation before speaking (despite being warned by Searchlight about TBG's far-right associations prior to attendance), disassociated himself from the group, and apologised for his attendance, calling it "a mistake".[8][9][13]

2013[]

The 2013 annual conference of the group was addressed by, amongst others, American white nationalist Richard Spencer.[1] It was also attended by former Ulster Unionist Party MP John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney.[16]

2017[]

The 2017 annual conference was addressed by Anne Marie Waters (former UKIP candidate and founder of the For Britain party), Martin Sellner (leader of the Identitäre Bewegung Österreichs) and attended by Mark Collett (former leader of the youth wing of the British National Party).[17] In March of that year, the Bow Group granted TBG a special concession to its 65th anniversary celebrations.[1]

2018[]

In October 2018, James Thompson (a former senior lecturer at UCL) pulled out of his speaking slot to the group's annual conference at the last minute following "considerable pressure" from the media. Thompson lost his honorary professorship at UCL after Private Eye "revealed he had been organising secretive conferences on racial eugenics – and inviting notorious white supremacists" (see London Conference on Intelligence controversy).[8] The columnist Katie Hopkins spoke at their 2018 annual conference.[18]

2019[]

Estonian Finance Minister Martin Helme addressed the 2019 conference.[19] Polish vice-chairman of the National Movement Krzysztof Bosak also spoke at the 2019 conference.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Porter, Tom (9 March 2017). "Tory think-tank invites anti-black Traditional Britain Group to anniversary dinner". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  2. ^ Pitel, Laura (9 August 2013). "Right wingers urge Doreen Lawrence to return 'home'". The Times. p. 4. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  3. ^ Legal Challenges to the Far-Right: Lessons from England and Wales, Natalie Alkiviadou, Routledge, ISBN 036740706X, chapter 1
  4. ^ Briggs, Billy (18 November 2019). "Race hate Scots 'go home' threat targeted female student". Daily Record. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  5. ^ Hannan, Martin (27 July 2019). "Scots community council chairman and far-right group VP fined for racist abuse". The National. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  6. ^ Holehouse, Matthew (8 August 2013). "Jacob Rees-Mogg's shock at dinner with group that want to repatriate black Britons". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  7. ^ Batchelor, Tom (20 September 2017). "Anti-fascist activist goes undercover with 'alt right' to expose movement's rapid European expansion". The Independent. p. 10. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "Far-right & wrong". Private Eye (1481): 9. October–November 2018.
  9. ^ a b c McSmith, Andy (9 August 2013). "Gregory Lauder-Frost exposed: The Tory fringe group leader with Nazi sympathies". The Independent. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  10. ^ Hayek: A Collaborative Biography: Part XIII: 'Fascism' and Liberalism in the (Austrian) Classical Tradition, Robert Leeson, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 9783319913575, page 36
  11. ^ Ukip is finished after electing Gerard Batten, but Nigel Farage is set to make a comeback, The Independent, 19 February 2018
  12. ^ About, Traditional Britain Group website, accessed 18 October 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Rees-Mogg's dinner speech 'mistake'". BBC News. 9 August 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  14. ^ Bloom, Dan (18 February 2018). "UKIP's new leader shared black-tie dinner table with right winger filmed calling Vanessa Feltz a 'fat Jewish s**g'". The Mirror. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  15. ^ Lowles, Nick (19 February 2018). "Ukip is finished after electing Gerard Batten, but Nigel Farage is set to make a comeback". The Independent. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  16. ^ https://traditionalbritain.org/blog/traditional-britain-dinner-2013-jacob-rees-mogg-mp/
  17. ^ Mulhall, Joe (22 October 2017). "Waters and Sellner speak at Traditional Britain Group conference". Hope not Hate. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  18. ^ Townsend, Mark (23 September 2018). "Katie Hopkins to speak at far-right rally with Holocaust denier". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  19. ^ "EKRE deputy chair attends far-right conference in London". Estonian news - news.postimees.ee. 29 October 2019.

External links[]


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