A practising Birmingham barrister is set to stand in the forthcoming General Election for the British National Party.

Robert Grierson will contest the Sutton Coldfield constituency which is currently held by Conservative Andrew Mitchell with a majority of more than 12,000.

Mr Grierson, who has been a barrister for 18 years specialising in tax, trust, wills and estates work, is currently a door tenant at St Philip Chambers in Birmingham city centre which means he works with the Chambers but is not a member.

James Burbidge QC, head of the Chambers, said he had only just discovered Mr Grierson’s intentions and was previously unaware of his involvement with the BNP.

“St Philips Chambers have recently learned that Robert Grierson, a former member of Chambers, and since December 2008, a door tenant, is standing as a Parliamentary candidate for the British National Party,” he said.

“Mr Grierson’s political persuasions, his beliefs and his association with the British National Party were not known to Chambers when he applied for and was accepted for a door tenancy.

“As a mere door tenant it should be noted that in fact he is not a member of Chambers.

“As is well known across the Midlands and in the wider legal community, St Philips Chambers operate a strict non-discriminatory policy towards its members, staff, lay and professional clients and members of the public alike.”

Mr Burbidge added that any views that Mr Grierson purports to hold must be taken to be his own personal views and not that of St Philips Chambers or any of its members.

Mr Grierson and the BNP were unavailable for comment but Mr Grierson told the BNP website that he believed he had a chance of making an impact on May 6.

“I am certain I can provide an effective challenge to the sitting Tory MP in Sutton Coldfield Andrew Mitchell,” he said.

The website also described a recent meeting of the South Birmingham branch of the BNP where the party’s foreign affairs spokesman, Arthur Kemp, said Birmingham was being “colonised” by immigrants.

He said: “The Africans objected to being colonised by Europeans, and this objection is accepted worldwide as correct and just.

“But if Africans objected to being colonised by Europeans, then Europeans have the same right to object to being colonised by Africa or the Third World, which is exactly what is happening with current Third World immigration levels into Britain and all western nations,” he said.

He said recent figures had shown that 61 per cent of all primary school children in Birmingham were now from the “ethnic minorities”.

This, he said, was “no longer an ethnic minority, but a majority. This is colonisation by immigration”.

“The BNP is, therefore, no longer an ‘anti-immigration’ party.

“It is an anti-colonial party and let us here tonight in Birmingham launch our anti-colonial struggle,” he added to applause.

According to the website, Mr Grierson was born in Witton and educated at King Edward’s School – the school that Enoch Powell attended – before attending Downing College Cambridge, the same college as BNP leader Nick Griffin.

It said he was also a Tennis Blue and represented the combined Oxford-Cambridge Tennis VI on the Prentice Cup tour to the USA in 1988.

MP Tom Watson (Lab West Bromwich East) said the revelation that a barrister was standing in the West Midlands for the BNP would trouble many in the business community.

He said: “I’m sure no self-respecting business would want to use the services of a barrister standing for a party which holds such extreme views.

“I would have thought the Chamber would want to review their relationship with him.”