An MP has called for an investigation after it emerged the Green Party was attempting to win votes from BNP supporters.
Activists were told that if they met a BNP supporter while canvassing, they should encourage them to go to the polling station in the hope that they might vote Green.
Solihull MP Julian Knight (Con) has now written to Nick Page, Chief Executive of Solihull Council, asking him to “investigate urgently”.
Mr Page’s responsibilities include overseeing elections in Solihull.
Mr Knight said in his letter: “I am very proud that Solihull is a multicultural town. As the official opposition on Solihull Council, the local Green Party must be held accountable for the actions of their leadership.
“It is unacceptable on every level, for any political party in Solihull, to systematically and quite deliberately target those who support a racist party i.e. the BNP. I represent 76,000 people in Solihull, I am proud and humbled that we have a diverse and multi-cultural town; but this revelation is a dagger to our community working.
“I ask a simply question; what are we to say to the thousands of Sikh, Hindu and Muslim constituents when they read that the Green party are courting BNP voters?
“I ask you therefore to investigate urgently and consider taking the strongest possible action, which to date, unfortunately, the Green Party are failing to do.”
The advice to Green Party activists was contained in a detailed document called “How to Win an Election”, written by Chris Williams, the party’s Regional Manager for Elections and a councillor in Solihull.
In a section on canvassing, the document invited activists to imagine they are in a seat where the Greens were challenging Labour, and explained how to respond if a voter said they backed the BNP or UKIP.
The document said: “If they say BNP or UKIP, then do not tell them that there is no BNP or UKIP candidate (unless they are very anti-Green) but if they appear to be very anti-Labour, then we do want them to go to the polling station.
“When they get there, they will see no BNP or UKIP candidate and so may vote Green instead.”
Instead, activists were told to say: “Do you know you have 3 Labour Councillors in this area at the moment, which means they have the monopoly? [Candidate] has been working all year round - you have probably seen the newsletters – and so you may wish to consider voting for him in order to keep Labour out. It’s a two-horse race around here between Labour and [candidate].”
The Green Party are the official opposition in Solihull, with 11 councillors. Nationwide they have one MP and are led by Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley.
The BNP is a racist party which believes in putting “British” people first and also argues that only ethnic white Europeans can be British.
A Green Party Spokesperson said: “The document referred to is a now old guide to conversations on the doorsteps where we will encounter constituents from all political persuasions, who have voted in a variety of ways over the course of their voting lives.
“The Green Party will always listen to voters on the doorstep and will not make judgements about them based on their voting intentions past or present.
“We know that many people feel frustrated and disenfranchised by mainstream politics and have looked for an alternative.
“The Green Party offers a solution of hope, not hate, and we are proud to have taken seats from UKIP, erased the BNP in Solihull. and to offer an anti establishment alternative that can challenge the politics of hate.
“Only by winning votes from the disenfranchised and changing the narrative can we defeat the far right, which the Green Party is helping to do.”
Tory Solihull Councillor Katy Blunt said the document suggested Greens were failing to challenge racist views.
In her own letter to the council’s chief executive, she said: “If someone states they have previously supported an openly racist party, they are unlikely to vote for you if you challenge these behaviours.”
