by the Liberal Democrats that led to greater acceptance of the BNP's racism. For example, the Liberal Democrats' leaflets in Millwall had said that Labour's policies for positive discrimination meant "NO to Island Homes for Island People" (the Isle of Dogs is known locally as "the Island") and implying that the Liberal Democrats favoured the White community. In November 1981, a local Liberal Democrat councillor had travelled to Bangladesh and was quoted as telling local people that there was "no room left for immigrants". Another councillor hung a Union flag in a proscribed place from his office in Globe Town and made a stance of refusing to take it down. The BNP themselves said that the local Liberal Democrats had "transformed themselves from being composed of a small group of early yuppie outsiders, to being the party of the local frustrated housewife". In time, the Labour Party felt obliged to defend themselves against perceptions of favouring Bangladeshis and also began to use similar language about favouring locals. As the governing party on the council, the Liberal Democrats had instituted a "Sons and Daughters" scheme that, by prioritising housing applications for those whose parents were already in social housing nearby, favoured White residents. Only 8% of applicants were Bangladeshi, whereas 69% of homeless people in the borough were Bangladeshi. However, the BNP criticised this scheme. In both the 1992 and 1993 local by-elections, the BNP's leaflets stated, "The Liberals' Sons and Daughters scheme is just a con - Bangladeshis are still put first in housing in Liberal Neighbourhoods like Bethnal Green and Poplar." Between the 1992 and 1993 by-elections, a new housing development on Masthouse Terrace in the Millwall ward was opened, and there was local anger that 28% of places were given to Bangladeshis. After their 1993 victory, the BNP said in a statement, "The Liberals repeated last year's shabby trick of playing the 'race card', by trying to pretend that they were against immigration. The trick failed, as local whites had heard it all before, and this time were not taken in." 1990 council elections In the previous full council elections in 1990, Millwall elected three Labour councillors in a marginal contest between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats retained control of the overall council, having gained control in 1986 as the Liberal-SDP Alliance. No BNP candidate stood for election in Millwall in 1990, although the party