The defection of Cllr Rose Thompson has caused the town council "embarrassment on a national scale", says Deputy mayor Cllr Graham Mitchell.

Cllr Mitchell said: "She could and should have waited until mid-May before making such an explosive political statement.

"It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the 'Queensbury presentation' of Cllr Thompson was a carefully stage-managed event with the former mayoress having been groomed for the occasion."

In 1993, Cllr Thompson wrote a 24-page booklet, entitled 'Land of Hope and Nothing Else', which described her experiences and those of residents at Braithwaite and Guard House. She then sent it to Conservative Prime Minister John Major.

Acting chairman of the Keighley Liberal Democrat Party Judith Brooksbank said: "Although it is not wrong to be a member of a political party, for her to join an extremist political party which excludes large amounts of the population, is not acceptable, when she is representing the people of Keighley."

Denise Ahad, whose husband, Abdul, is Bangladeshi, has known Cllr Thompson for around 25 years.

Mrs Ahad said: "I can't believe Rose has done something like this. She was always trying to do better for her community."

Keighley MP Ann Cryer said: "This is a storm in a tea cup, but I wonder how many people cringed at the sight of the BNP trying to give our town a bad name again.

"The strength of Keighley Town Council is in its independence from political parties. Why is it that the extremist BNP wants to undermine that strength?

"Certainly not for the benefit of the people of Keighley, but as always for its own political needs."

Cllr Thompson's sister, Mary Lister, 50, of Parkwood Rise, said this week: "We don't need the BNP here and I don't agree with what she has done.

"I asked her if she had gone off her head. I don't like anything like that. We don't want them in this town and I won't be voting for her."