|PIC1|The British National Party is not the defender of genuine Christianity, the Evangelical Alliance has said ahead of the party leader's appearance on the BBC's "Question Time".

The organisation said Nick Griffin's appearance on the BBC's flagship current affairs programme presented another opportunity to emphatically reject any claims that they are the defenders of Christianity.

The BBC's invitation has sparked a row over how the media should handle the far right. The BBC has refused to withdraw its invitation to Mr Griffin on the grounds of political neutrality, despite Cabinet minister Peter Hain threatening legal action against it.

The furore has arisen following the election of Mr Griffin and another BNP candidate to the European Parliament in June this year. They were the first BNP candidates to become MEPs.

Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance said: “We unequivocally condemn any attempt to use the Christian faith to promote racist nationalist policies and expect the BNP’s policies to be exposed for what they are on Thursday’s Question Time.”

The BNP has attempted to position itself as the party that stands up for Christian values. In the run up to the European Parliament elections, the BNP launched a poster campaign featuring Jesus and quoting Scripture that was unanimously condemned by the Baptist, United Reformed and Methodist Churches.

The Evangelical Alliance said it "totally rejects any such claim" by the BNP to be the party that represents Christian values.