Constitutional Movement - Definition

The Constitutional Movement was a splinter group from the British National Front, formed in 1979 as the National Front Constitutional Movement by Andrew Fountaine. Offering a more moderate alternative to the NF, the Constitutional Movement claimed to have 2000 members by 1980.

Despite its early promise the Constitutional Movement soon began to flounder (particularly after Fountaine called an end to his political career in 1981) and managed to contest only five seats in the 1983 general election, by which time it had changed its name again, this time to the Nationalist Party. Performing very poorly it made its last appearance in a 1984 by-election in the Southgate constituency, polling only 80 votes in a seat won by Michael Portillo. The party was gone soon after this.