BRITISH National Party leader Nick Griffin's decision to fight the Keighley seat at the next General Election has put Ilkley in danger of being made synonymous with extremism, says the town's current MP.

Ann Cryer, who held the seat for Labour with a majority of 4,006 votes at the last election, said this week that any support for the BNP in Keighley would also reflect badly on Ilkley.

The BNP secured about 5,000 votes in the Keighley area at the local elections last year, returning two district councillors to Bradford as a result.

Mrs Cryer said: "Many in Ilkley believe that the problems in Keighley have no bearing on them. However, I would ask them to give due consideration to the decision by the chairman of the BNP to stand as a Parliamentary candidate for Keighley and Ilkley.

"I cannot think of anything more abhorrent than to let an extremist organisation such as the BNP establish a foothold in our area. It is a parasitic political organisation that seeks to foster conflict and division within communities for its own political gain.

"Without conflict their raison d'etre ceases. It has no ambition to solve problems or to improve lives, rather it seeks to generate a political climate of distrust, negativity and division which it can then seek to exploit.

"I am not prepared to sit back and allow this to happen in Keighley and Ilkley. The repercussions of allowing extremism to fester will be felt by all of us.

"Who would come to live in or visit a town that is suddenly famous for extremist politics? Who would want to invest in an area that was divided and extreme?

"Over the last seven years I have raised issues that some people have found unpalatable- for example: forced marriages; honour killings; the need to learn and speak English; managed migration - and people in Ilkley have given great support to me in these campaigns.

"Now is the time to send a clear message to the outside extremists that they are not welcome and that we will not allow them to destroy our towns."

Mr Griffin said he had chosen Keighley because he wanted a high profile campaign. He believed he could get serious issues out into the open in keighley by standing as a candidate.

Chris Kirby, who holds the Worth Valley seat on Bradford Council for the BNP, said he hoped Mr Griffin would tackle the 'lies and smears' said about the party and that he would concentrate on highlighting crime, drugs and the problem of safety on the streets.

Mr Griffin was arrested last month on suspicion of inciting racial hatred after a television documentary about BNP activities in Bradford and Keighley. He was released on police bail.

Ilkley parish councillor Michael Gibbons is the former chairman of the Keighley and Ilkley Conservative Association. He said: "Of course, living in a democracy I believe it is the right of any individual to stand and put him or herself forward to the general populace and leave the decision to them.

"All I would really wish to say with regard to the policies of the BNP is that they adopt a very hard line with regard to elements of the community.

"I would hope that the recent events in South East Asia and the wonderful reaction of the general public in the UK has taught us all the necessity of living together peaceably.

"It is my belief that the policies put forward by the main parties in this country offer the most rational and reasonable way of operating Government."

Ilkley resident Andrew Dundas is the chairman of Ilkley and Keighley Labour Party. He said: "The important thing is that Ann Cryer only has a small majority over the Conservatives.

If people vote for the BNP they would get a Conservative MP. It means that this election will be very much more important for Ilkley's reputation in the world that it otherwise would have been. If people vote for the BNP they are going to end up with Ilkley labelled as a racist town and that is what they don't want. No matter how you disguise it - that is how it will be interpreted by the outside world."

Karl Poulsen, the Conservative candidate for the next General Election, said: "I'm not interested in the personalities of who else stands in Ilkley at the General Election.

"I'm more interested in discussing my party's policies and how we will give Ilkley more police, cleaner hospitals, better school discipline, control immigration, lower taxes and be accountable for our actions in government."