Roy Painter
Roy William Painter (14 May 1933 – 23 April 2026) was a leading figure on the British far right.
Life and career
[edit]Roy William Painter was born in London on 14 May 1933.[1][2][3][4] Enlisting in the British Army in 1951, he fought in the Korean War the following year, working as a radio operator.[4][5]
Painter later worked as a London cab driver, during which time he was a leading member of the Conservatives in Tottenham and stood as a candidate for them in the Greater London Council. A supporter of Enoch Powell, he was involved with the Conservative Monday Club, although he resigned from the group and the Conservative Party in 1972 when the Club began a process of removing its most extreme members.[6] Following his resignation, Painter joined the National Front, rapidly rising to a post on the NF Directorate by 1974.[7]
He made a weak start as a party candidate for the NF in Tottenham at the February 1974 general election; he finished with 1,270 votes (4.1%), behind the National Independence Party candidate. An improvement was shown in the October 1974 election when he captured 2,211 votes (8.3%) in the same seat. It has been argued that the vote was as much a personal one for Painter, a popular businessman in Haringey, as it was an endorsement of the NF.[8]
Painter became a prominent figure in the 'populist' wing of the NF, opposing John Tyndall and Martin Webster. He wrote an article in a 1974 issue of Spearhead entitled "Let's Make Nationalism Popular" which extolled the virtues of this path. It was followed by a rebuttal from Tyndall who described Painter's arguments as "sheer unadulterated claptrap".[9] Whilst espousing populism, Painter is said to have told Martin Webster, "I am a national socialist at heart. Only I am careful."[10] The 'populists', however, began to outvote Tyndall on the Directorate[11] and Painter dismissed Tyndall as a "tin pot Führer".[12]
He was believed by The Guardian to be a potential rival leader.[13] However, he instead supported John Kingsley Read.[14] Kingsley Read came under bitter attack from the hardliners who regained control of the party in 1976. "Kingsley Read, Roy Painter and other ex-Conservative populists"[15] left to form the short-lived National Party and Painter was appointed its Directorate.[16]
Painter rejoined the Conservatives in 1978, although his role with them was confined to local politics.[17]
He continued to be involved on the fringe of the far right. In 2003, with Ian Anderson, he addressed a conference organised by the Conservative Democratic Alliance.[18] In 2006 he was photographed alongside Derek Turner, editor of Right Now! magazine at the annual dinner of the Traditional Britain Group.
In 2012, he gave a speech entitled "Was Enoch [Powell] right about immigration?" to a seminar organised by Alan Harvey head of the Springbok Club and briefly chairman of the Swinton Circle,[19] with whom he had been in the National Party.
Painter died on 23 April 2026, aged 92.[20]
Elections contested
[edit]| Date of election | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1974 | Tottenham | NF | 1270 | 4.1 | The Guardian, 2 Mar 1974 |
| October 1974 | Tottenham | NF | 2211 | 8.3 | The Guardian, 12 Oct 1974 |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Tory Quits For National Front". The Telegraph. 11 July 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ Election Expenses. Home Office. 1975. p. 9. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ "Roy William Painter b. 1933". FreeBMD. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Roy Painter". Korean War Legacy Foundation. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ "A Veteran Interview with Roy Painter". Legasee. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- ↑ Walker, Martin, The National Front, Glasgow: Fontana, 1977, p.131
- ↑ Walker, Martin The National Front, Fontana, 2nd edition 1978 p.137
- ↑ Taylor, S., The National Front in English Politics, London: Macmillan, 1982, p. 42
- ↑ Walker, Martin The National Front, Fontana, 2nd edition 1978, p151
- ↑ Fielding, Nigel The National Front Routledge, Kegan and Paul 1981 p25
- ↑ Thurlow, Richard C. Thurlow Fascism in Britain: From Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts to the National Front 1998, p.253
- ↑ Walker, 1977, p.187
- ↑ Walker, Martin The National Front Fontana, 2nd edition 1978 p149
- ↑ Walker, 1977, p.176
- ↑ Bean, John, Many Shades of Black New Millennium 1999 p217
- ↑ Walker, 1977, p.193
- ↑ Gerry Gable, "The Far Right in the United Kingdom" in L. Cheles, R. Ferguson & M. Vaughan (eds.), Neo-Fascism in Europe, London: Longman, 1991, p.249
- ↑ Searchlight anti-fascist magazine, "CDA rejects multiculturalism and moves towards new party", 2003 p.47
- ↑ Springbok Club Cyber Newsletter, June 2012
- ↑ "Mr Roy William Painter". Dignity Funeral Directors. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
