History The English National Party (ENP) was founded as the
John Hampden New Freedom Party in 1966 by
Frank Hansford-Miller. "
John Hampden" was a reference to a leading
parliamentarian from the
English Civil War. In 1974, it was renamed the "English Nationalist Party". It was defunct by 1981; by this time, Hansford-Miller had left, and he campaigned for the "Abolition of Rates Coalition" in the 1981
Greater London Council elections. The party's best known policy was advocating a
devolved English parliament. Other policies included calling for the abolition of
income tax, and an end to
local authority housing. It was considered to be centre-right, and not racist. it contested the
second 1974 and the
1979 general elections as the ENP. Its best performance was at the second 1974 general election, where it fielded two candidates and secured 1,115 votes. It achieved its greatest notability in April 1976, when it was joined by the
Member of Parliament John Stonehouse, who had formerly represented the
Labour Party and at the time was awaiting trial for
fraud. However, Stonehouse was convicted and left Parliament in August of that year, and the party did not stand a candidate in the subsequent by-election. ==Other parties by the name==