British National Party chairman Nick Griffin has announced that he has been formally invited to a function at the Buckingham Palace.
Mr Griffin, who announced his decision to step down as party leader in 2013 after party’s disastrous performance in May’s general election, is a member of the European Parliament and has been invited in that context.
Mr Griffin said he and three of his guests had been invited by the Lord Chamberlain to a function for British members of the European Parliament at the Buckingham Palace on July 22.
In 2009, the news of Mr Griffin’s decision to attend a Buckingham Palace function had caused a huge furore in Britain and ultimately he had decided not to attend the event out of fear of embarrassing Queen Elizabeth II.
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UK aims to cut delays at airports
London : The British government has set up a task force to try to reduce queues and delays at the three main airports serving London, transport secretary Philip Hammond said on Tuesday.
Mr Hammond said the aim was to create better rather than bigger airports and that the group would focus initially on Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick.
Critics say London airports are over-crowded and too full of shops.
“I have a clear vision for our airports which sees greater reliability, shorter queues, less hassle and better services for passengers. It is absolutely crucial that we get this right as aviation is vital to our national economy,” Mr Hammond said in a statement.
“We have been clear in our opposition to additional runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, so the challenge we face now is making them better within existing runway capacity constraints,” transport secretary Hammond added in the statement.
The group will be chaired by aviation minister Theresa Villiers and include representatives of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, EasyJet and Ryanair, as well as the airport operators and passenger groups.
—Reuters