I WAS impressed by the performance of Mark Walker, of the BNP, when he appeared on the BBC’s Politics Show in January. He should go far in politics, as he has clearly mastered a skill which seems vital to political success these days – the capacity to evade awkward questions.

He was repeatedly asked to explain his position regarding the BNP’s manifesto, which states that the party is “wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British and non-European peoples” and committed to restoring “the overwhelmingly white make-up of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948”.

Can anyone seriously doubt that the BNP is a racist party?

J Moffatt (HAS, May 7) accuses Sedgefield Labour MP Phil Wilson of hypocrisy for refusing to share a platform with Mr Walker while also voting with the Government on the Gurkha settlement rights issue.

Is it not a bit hypocritical for Mr Moffatt to defend the BNP in this context, as supporting the Gurkhas would be contrary to the BNP’s stated political objectives? In case he has not noticed, the Gurkhas are not “overwhelmingly white”.

Pete Winstanley, Durham.