MEP hopefuls set out their stalls to Black communities ahead of Thursday’s crucial European elections as the campaign moves into the final furlong.

Operation Black Vote spoke to six of the political parties ahead of the election to find out what they are offering Black voters.

‘It is time to look at the consequences of not going out to vote’, he warned. ‘If the far right are elected that will present a problem for the Black community. If elected they will have huge resources to build fascism in Britain.’

Moraes also said there were positive reasons for voting Labour, not least his party's record of pushing anti-discrimination legislation in Europe, including the ‘Article 13 race equality directive’, which was ratified in Brussels late last year.

He said David Cameron’s Conservatives presented a modern face to the British electorate but in Europe they had consistently voted against social legislation such as increased protection for exploited workers.

Earnshaw Palmer

Syed Kamall, a Conservative MEP who is seeking re-election on Thursday, said that Britain was best-placed to make its' own anti-discrimination laws and that David Cameron's party opposed moves to create a 'United States of Europe.'

He said: 'We lead Western Europe when it comes to integration; they can learn from us.' Kamall said that the Conservatives were fighting for the votes of black and Asian people and all communities.

For the Lib Dems, former Thurrock councillor Earnshaw Palmer hopes to be elected in the Eastern region of Britain. The senior accounts manager, who was born in Sierra Leone, said he was passionate about trade and believes Europe’s policies has a big impact on developing countries.

Palmer said that with 70% of Britain's laws made in Europe, the Lib Dems offered the prospect of constructive engagement where in matters. ‘We need to be around the table to influence what happens to us. We hold the balance of power in Europe, so a vote for us will make sure that your vote really does count in Europe.’

Other Lib Dem policies for Europe include creating ‘green road out of recession’ by developing new green industries, and to police the big banks through cooperation between European nations.

Unsurprisingly the Green Party is also keen on environmentally-friendly industries, but unlike the big three parties the Greens say they are green through and through, not just on the surface. In the North West they are also the party best placed to deny British National Party leader Nick Griffin a seat in Brussels.

Sasha Khan, a Green candidate in London, said they were the only party that truly believed in fair trade over free trade. He said: ‘The EU is becoming the cheerleader for the World Trade Organisation that is pushing a brand of globalisation that is in turn making the world unstable.

‘We need to fight to promote fair trade and fair pay for workers and producers [of crops]. When people talk about immigration, poverty caused by globalisation are the “push” factors that cause forced migration.’

Also competing for your vote are a number of smaller parties, including one with a black leader. Rev George Hargreaves leads the Christian Party which is urging voters to “put your cross by ‘The Cross.’”

40% of the Christian Party candidates seeking seats are ethnic minorities, the largest proportion of any party in this election. Rev Hargreaves, a former songwriter who penned the hit So Macho for Sinitta in the 1908s, is pretty famous himself these days as his face can be seen beaming from billboards across London.

He said the Christian Party’s goal was to ‘make a connection between the grassroots of community and Brussels.’ ‘The first task I’d like to do, is to audit what the European Union is doing for London and Londoners, and visit every project funded by the EU in London,’ he states.

Libertas is a new pan-European movement which is fielding over 600 candidates in 14 European countries. Nick Coke, Libertas candidate for south-west England, said that Libertas is a party for all people. ‘Democracy is for everybody and Brussels should not dictate its policies down to European citizens.’

Libertas originated from the Libertas Institute, a think-tank which debated the future of the EU and campaigned for economic and democratic reform. Prompted by their disagreements with the Lisbon Treaty, the Libertas Institute led a campaign in June 2008 calling on the people of Ireland to vote against it.

The party wants each country holding a referendum on any Constitution and reject the Lisbon Treaty. Coke added: ‘We are an anti-discrimination party, believing in freedom for all individuals.’

* Additional reporting by: Faith Jegede and Abdus Shuman