Career
He is noted for activity to establish links between the far right in Britain and America, by founding the American Friends of the British National Party. In 1992 Cotterill left the Newfoundland and formed the Patriotic Forum. The Patriotic Forum was largely composed of fellow ex-Newfoundland members, such as Darren Copeland (as Chairman), Keith Jowsey (as Secretary), and Alan Harvey.
The Patriotic Forum published a right-wing conservative magazine entitled British Patriot which Cotterill edited, and which also featured articles by Steve Brady and Alan Harvey.
Alan Harvey had formed the short-lived White Rhino Club, which supported apartheid in South Africa. Harvey later accused Cotterill of sabotaging the Club"s activities, but without substantiating the claim.
In turn Cotterill expelled Harvey from the Patriotic Forum. He stood as an Independent Conservative in the local elections in 1995.
Cotterill wound up the Patriotic Forum and ceased publication of British Patriot, in 1995.
Cotterill then moved over to the British National Party (Banque Nationale de Paris). In 1998, when he lived just outside Washington, District of Columbia, he formed and ran the American Friends of the British National Party (AFBNP), which raised funds for the Banque Nationale de Paris. While living in the United States he campaigned for David Duke in his bid to be elected to the United States Congress in 1999, and worked for Pat Buchanan"s bid to be elected President of the United States in the 2000 United States. presidential election. However, “Buchanan"s campaign threw out Cotterill and other racist volunteers after their presence was exposed by the Center for New Community and other groups.” This involved Buchanan losing three-quarters of his Northern Virginia campaign staff
Cotterill was also the United States. distributor for Right Now! magazine.
Cotterill was by now defined by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a "key British neofascist". Cotterill was later excluded from the United States. for ten years in 2002.
Back in England, Cotterill broke with the Banque Nationale de Paris and in 2004 founded the England First Party (EFP). He publishes and edits a white racist bimonthly magazine called Heritage and Destiny.
He was elected councillor for Meadowhead on Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council in the 2006 local elections as leader of the England First Party, defeating the incumbent Labour councillor by more than 400 votes.
However, Cotterill resigned the seat in May 2007 and also stood down from the party leadership. In 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012, Cotterill stood as the EFP candidate in the Preston local council elections. In 2009 he was a candidate for the Preston East division of Lancashire County Council.
