A former leader of the banned extreme right-wing group National Acton has claimed he only 'joked' about killing Home Secretary Amber Rudd instead when another member said he planned to murder an MP.

Ex-leader of the north west branch of National Action Christopher Lythgoe, 32, said Jack Renshaw, 23, should 'do Amber Rudd' instead of plotting to kill his local MP and a police woman.

The Old Bailey was told the pair met at a Wetherspoons pub in Cheshire on July 1 last year, where Renshaw, talked about killing Rosie Cooper MP and DC Victoria Henderson with a gladiator machete.

He said he planned on being shot dead by police in a hostage stand-off, jurors were told.

Ex-leader of the north west branch of National Action Christopher Lythgoe, 32 (pictured left) said Jack Renshaw, 23, (pictured right) should 'do Amber Rudd' instead of plotting to kill his local MP and a police woman when they met at a pub in Cheshire, a court was told

Lythgoe denied Renshaw was asking for 'permission' from the group to carry out the attack, and that he advised him to dump his electronics to avoid it being traced back to them.

He told jurors: 'I remember Jack Renshaw saying he bought a knife - he said he was going to use it on someone. I can't remember who he said at the time.

'He said he would make a video he wanted to go viral to explain what he had done.

'I thought he was just venting. He was going through some difficulties and under a lot of stress and thought he was just taking s*** basically.

'I said something like 'if you try anything line that you'll probably f*** it up'. I didn't think he was capable of carrying out such a plan.

'I joked 'if you've got to do it, do Amber Rudd. She was the one who banned National Action.'

Renshaw wanted to kill DC Henderson over allegations he faced about grooming children, the Old Bailey heard.

The Old Bailey was told the pair met at a Wetherspoons pub in Cheshire on July 1 last year, where Renshaw (pictured) talked about killing Rosie Cooper MP and DC Victoria Henderson with a gladiator machete

He believed she was trying to ruin his life and 'make him sound like a paedophile' after fabricating evidence against him, jurors were told.

Renshaw started crying when he talking about a meeting he had with police in July 2016, the Old Bailey was told.

In a taped conversation Lythgoe described how Renshaw had 'gone off the rails' and talked about 'killing the DC [Henderson] in charge of the case that ruined his life'.

Crispin Aylett, defending Lythgoe, said: 'As a member of National Action pre-prescription you [Lythgoe] must have had some extreme right wing views.

'So the views you had at around 18 to 19 now are pretty much the same.

'You are against the immigration which has taken place over the last 15 years.

'We can see from the nature of emails; some are very long and detailed and involve formations and issues.'

Lythgoe told the jury: 'I believe societies are strong when they are separate. Mass immigration tends to have a negative effect.

'I'm opposed to the Jewish influence in wider European societies, but I'm not against Jews per se.'

Lythgoe also admitted he was a 'Holocaust denier' and described certain towns in the north east as 'Pakified'.

But he distanced himself from Renshaw who said yesterday from the witness box 'if I had my way they (Jewish people) would all be dead'.

The 23-year-old (pictured) said he planned on being shot dead by police in a hostage stand-off, jurors were told

He also said he did not hate gay people, as other members had alleged.

The group would often go to protests armed with Kali sticks - extendable Filipino martial art weapons - to fight far-left activists, the court heard.

Lythgoe added: 'I don't normally use racial slurs. I don't believe in eradicating the Jews. I don't share his [Renshaw's] views.

'I'm against violence. Everything I have ever written or spoken about is always about using peaceful methods to achieve political aims.

'A lot of left wing protestors would come to fight with weapons so we decided if they were going to do that we were going to arm ourselves as well in case we were attacked. Our preference was to avoid confrontation.'

Warehouse worker Lythgoe, of Warrington, Cheshire, said he kept his extremist activities secret from his colleagues and parents - who he described as a 'liberal and a wishy-washy Labour supporter who voted for Brexit'.

In a note found in his bedroom where he lived with his parents, Lythgoe said a neo-Nazi revolution could be achieved 'like a Medieval king'.

He wrote: 'What we want is a revolution. A revolution is a mental phenomenon. It's in the minds of men first of all.

'We want the transfer of power out of the hands of those opposed to our ideologies and into the hands of our ideologies of national socialism.

'Take the example of the Medieval king. He couldn't simply demand submission by an entire populace by just physical domination.

'It's impossible for one man to accomplish such a thing without others believing he is the rightful king.'

When asked about the conflict between 'the ballot box or the barrel of a gun,' he replied: 'There were plenty of revolutions that have taken place with neither a democratic process or violence.

'All opposed hand over control rather than by being forcefully deposed.'

Jurors were told around 10 members would arrive for training sessions at the Hook and Jab gym set up by Lythgoe for the group to practice boxing.

Pictured: Jack Renshaw, who is accused of being a member of a proscribed organisation. He has already pleaded guilty to preparing terrorism and threatening to kill

The group also went to a camping fishing trip to Cumbria where one member had to sleep in a phone box and an excursion to the Lake District to practice fighting with plastic knives, the court heard.

After the group were banned and placed on a proscribed list, Lythgoe said the group did not carry on campaigning, but some still met at their local pub to discuss their political views.

Wearing a light grey suit in the witness box, Lythgoe added: 'All of the attention from the Government and the media did go to our heads.

'So there was some talk about going underground but a lot of it was just bravado.

'We exchanged ideas about starting another political party, but we never did that.'

When asked about the murder of MP Jo Cox, Lythgoe replied: 'It was bad for us both ways.

'Obviously, I'm against innocent people being murdered for no reason and, politically, it was only going to cause us problems because certain people were trying to link it to us.'

In an email to members, he wrote: 'If we see any pessimism in our ranks to stamp it out.

'We are just shedding one skin for another. Revolutions in the past have had to exist underground. These are exciting times.'

Renshaw, of Skelmersdale, Lancs, Lythgoe, of Woolston, Cheshire, Helm, of Seaforth, Merseyside, Hankinson, of Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside, Clarke, of Warrington, Trubini, of Warrington, all deny being members of a proscribed organisation.

Renshaw admitted one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of a terrorist act and to one count of making a threat to kill at an earlier hearing.

Lythgoe denies one count of encouraging an offence of murder. The trial continues.