THE emergence of the British National Party in Yorkshire was top of the agenda at the Yorkshire and Humber Trades Union Congress annual general meeting in York today.

Delegates from across the region listened to speeches from Government ministers John Healey and Yvette Cooper at the National Railway Museum.

Mandy Nichols, UNISON regional convenor for Yorkshire and Humber, forwarded a motion about the BNP's rise.

The far-right party won its fifth UK council seat, and its first in Yorkshire, in a Halifax by-election last Thursday.

Cliff Williams, chairman of the regional TUC, called on political parties and trade unions to fight the BNP together. Other topics on the agenda included the ongoing firefighters' strike, with Yorkshire Fire Brigades Union representatives Malcolm Peel and Bob Blackburn bringing delegates up to date.

Updated: 14:07 Saturday, January 25, 2003