Today, Simon Darby, the deputy chairman and national press officer of the British National Party, defined 'indigenous' on live radio for BBC radio 5 live for the Victoria Derbyshire Show. When asked by a member of the audience as to the definition of indigenous, Darby stated that the indigenous people of Britain are those people 'whose ancestors have been here since the Ice Age'.

This would exclude those whose ancestry dates back to the Anglo-Saxons, the Celts, the Vikings and the Hugeonots amongst others. The definition excludes therefore the majority of the British population. The definition of 'indigenous' is important to current BNP policy because their policy on immigration depends upon it:

'We want Britain to remain - or return to - the way it has traditionally been. We accept that Britain always will have ethnic minorities and have no problem with this as long as they remain minorities and do not change nor seek to change the fundamental culture and identity of the indigenous peoples of the British Isles'.

The definition offered by Darby today will undoubtedly present some challenges to their immigration policy.