Nick Griffin has announced that he will step aside as the chairman of the British National Party (BNP).
In a statement published on the BNP website, the far right party announced that Nick Griffin will be replaced as party leader by recently appointed Deputy Chairman Adam Walker.
Griffin, who lost his seat his the European Parliament in May, will move to the position of President of the BNP.
The change at the top of the party was agreed at a meeting of the BNP National Executive on 19 July after the party suffered heavy defeats at the European and local elections in May, with many of their voters moving to support UKIP.
Griffin has led the BNP since 1999 and saw over the party during a surge of support earned them a 6% share of the vote in the 2009 European elections. However, the party has been on a steep decline since the 2009 peak with the emergence of other right-wing parties and groups such as the EDF and UKIP.
