They were formed in 2004 by Mark Cotterill who had been the founder and chairman of American Friends of the British National Party (BNP).

On the economy, the EFP supported the gradual nationalisation of most national and public services in attempts to achieve autarky.

[8] In their first electoral test, a local government by-election in February 2004 for the Heysham South ward in Lancaster, the EFP polled 14%.

Despite the party campaigning for a ban on mixed-race marriages it was revealed that one of the two elected councillors was reported to have a great-grandmother from the West Indies and a grandfather from Wales.

[9] Steven Smith and Simon Bennett stood in the Cliviger with Worsthorne and Queensgate wards respectively, at the 2007 Burnley council elections.

[18] On 1 May 2009, a former British National Party councillor, John Gamble, confirmed that he had defected to the EFP, after criticising the BNP.

He sat as an independent for a few days and then he decided to "join a party that offers a serious, radical challenge to the corrupt political establishment".

[19] This was after he told The Star newspaper in Sheffield he had "jumped ship" to the NF because he wanted to join a "more active" organisation than England First.

On 1 April 2010, Gamble defected back to England First because he stated to The Star, "I am not aware of the severity of these opinions" when some of the NF's recorded views were put to him.

Cotterill stated that the parties had differences on race, immigration and independence but they had in common withdrawal from EU and putting England first.