THE election of Yorkshire's first British National Party (BNP) councillor is "a blot on the political landscape" which unions and politicians should work hard to defeat, union delegates were told in York.

The recent emergence of the far right BNP, and last week's election of a councillor in Halifax, was one of the main themes of the annual general meeting of the Yorkshire and Humber Trades Union Congress (TUC), held at the National Railway Museum, in Leeman Road.

Cliff Williams, regional chairman of both the TUC and Unison, said: "We must re-double our efforts to defeat the BNP. It can be done, but we must work hard together to do it."

Wendy Nichols, who lives and works in Selby, is a Unison regional convener for Yorkshire and Humber.

She said "inflammatory" language and speeches on asylum seekers had contributed to the BNP's win.

"We must work tirelessly to get our message across," she said.

Treasury Minister John Healey branded the BNP as "racists in smart suits".

He said: "The fact that the rise of the BNP is the number one motion here today is very important. It is a challenge for all parties and trade unions that are concerned about democratic and decent ideas."

Mr Healey was at the AGM to speak about the importance and growth of regional and economic policy.

Trade unions have a very important role to play in that growth, he said.

Malcolm Peel and Bob Blackburn, representatives of the Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union (FBU), were also there to speak about the FBU's ongoing pay dispute with the Government.

Mr Blackburn said the imminent 48-hour strike, set to begin tomorrow, was definitely on. But he said the fact that the FBU was in open negotiations was encouraging.

He said: "We are encouraged, provided that the Government will allow the employers to negotiate and not strangle them over what they can offer on pay."

Mr Peel said public opinion was still with the firefighters.

"During last Tuesday's strike, we encouraged them to get off the picket lines and meet members of the public," he said. "It bolstered resolve and public opinion is still with us, despite what has been said in the media. Morale is high."

Updated: 11:29 Monday, January 27, 2003