A CHARITY which looks to raise funds for soldiers has hit back after it was accused of having links with the far-right British National Party (BNP) by Monmouth’s MP.

David Davies saw a fundraiser for the Soldiers Off The Streets charity in Monmouth – but said he felt the town’s residents’ goodwill was being 'abused'.

The charity was set up by Bill Murray, who Mr Davies has said was 'once a close associate of the party’s [former] leader Nick Griffin'.

Mr Davies said: “I am very concerned that a charity with close links to the BNP has been collecting money in Monmouth.

“I did challenge one of the fundraisers and explained my concerns but he had an identity card, so was not breaking the law. However, I am worried that the huge support which exists within the town for the armed forces is being exploited.”

Bill Murray told the Argus he had once been a member of the BNP in North Wales but he is no longer. He added his politics have frequently been more closely aligned to the Conservative Party’s and that he regards Margaret Thatcher as a heroine.

Mr Murray said of Mr Davies: “He should have got in touch with us and the Charity Commission, not run to the newspapers for his publicity. I have been looking him up and he loves the media, doesn’t he?

“I left [the BNP] to set the charity up. Charities and politics should not be mixed at all.”

And he added that since Soldiers Off The Street was formed in 2010, it has helped 500 former servicemen.

Mr Davies had said that he 'noted with interest' the amount of money spent on motor expenses was higher than it had spent on welfare costs.

But Mr Murray said those motor expenses included money that had gone towards funding a funeral for a former soldier who received help from the charity, which has bases in Rhyl, Scotland, Lincolnshire and the Midlands.

He also said the man Mr Davies met was not a representative of the charity but someone who had been employed by an agency to collect funds for Soldiers Off The Streets.