PLEASE REPLY TO 39 Windsor Road, Neath SA11 1NB Mark Thompson Director General BBC Television Centre Wood Lane London W127RJ 16" October 2009 Dear Mark BNP ON QUESTION TIME - UNLAWFUL, | appeal to you to overturn the BBC's decision to invite the Leader of the BNP Nick Griffin to appear on Question Time on Thursday 22" October. | am now requesting that you change your decision in the light of the proceedings at the Central London County Court yesterday, Thursday 15" October 2009. That case brought by the Equality and Human Rights Commission was adjourned until 28" January 2010. It would be wrong for you to allow the BNP to appear on Question Time until that case is resolved, at very least. To be clear, | maintain the position that you should not invite them in any case. The BNP have, through their counsel and undertakings given to the Court, accepted that they are an unlawfully constituted party. As John Wadham said yesterday, ‘We are pleased that the party has conceded this case and agreed to the Commission's requirements.’ Why else has Nick Griffin promised to amend his party's constitution to allow non-white members? Now that the BNP have accepted they are at present an unlawful body, it would be perverse for you to maintain that they are just like any other democratically elected party. On their own admission, at present, they are not.If you do not review the decision you may run the very serious risk of legal challenge, in addition to the moral objections that | make. In my view your approach is unreasonable, irrational and unlawful | believe it is clear that you should now suspend the invitation to see if Nick Griffin is able to agree a new constitution with his party. At that point the Commission and the Court will be satisfied that the BNP pass a basic threshold of legality. In the meantime surely you have no choice but to rescind the invitation and await the Court's final decision on the matter? You are giving the BNP a legitimacy even they dare not claim in their current unlawful status. Yours sincerely (oh des Rt Hon PETER HAIN Secretary of State for Wales & MP for Neath