The myth of 'Africans for Essex'

The BNP claimed that the Labour Party was giving Africans grants of up to £50,000 to buy houses in Barking & Dagenham.

It was a lie.

A cash incentive scheme did exist because some London councils, incredibly, found it cheaper to offer people money to buy outside their boroughs than to provide a subsidy to tenants wanting to exercise their right to buy their existing council house.

The scheme helped 1,332 people across London over four years.

Only 30 bought in Barking & Dagenham. Of these, just nine were of African origin.