A BRITISH National Party candidate hoping to win votes in Enfield North believes shaking up the benefits system and stopping immigration will go some way to tackling the problems facing Britain.

Edmonton resident Tony Avery is due to be on the ballot paper on May 6, hoping to unseat Labour's Joan Ryan in the General Election.

He told the Enfield Independent that society in Britain has declined and offer some remedies to the problems he perceives.

He said: “Immigration and benefits are linked, there seems to be a left wing liberal view that we should be kind to everyone, but the laws of nature don't work that way.

“People living here illegally are not entitled to benefits at any time. We should close the borders for a time.

“We simply have to employ some way of stopping willful immigration for the time being.”

The BNP is campaigning for a complete withdrawal of troops from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Mr Avery said the troops would be much better deployed to patrol the UK's borders.

He put crime as the third tenet of his campaign, advocating tougher sentences for criminals and calling for foreign nationals in British jails to be repatriated.

He said: “Crime is a major consideration for elderly people who don't dream of crossing their doors after dark.

“Our streets are dangerous, and the police can't guarantee the safety of our streets. Stiffer sentences will go someway to addressing this.”

Mr Avery, 56, taught English as a foreign language in the past, but has recently been working at City Hall for BNP representative Richard Barnbrook.

He is standing against Labour's Joan Ryan, Nick De Bois (Cons), Paul Smith (Lib Dem), Bill Linton (Green), and Madeline Jones (UKIP).