The UK Independence Party (Ukip) has submitted a proposed new party logo to electoral authorities, a design immediately likened by critics to the historic iron cross used by the German Empire and later the Nazi regime.
The Electoral Commission is now considering the application, which comes after the party's previous emblem, featuring a sword and spear, was rejected last November for being deemed offensive.
A Design Echoing Controversial History
The newly proposed logo retains a stark black cross but omits the previously rejected sword. It features the word "Ukip" with the phrase "The New Right" written underneath. The party continues to use its well-known yellow pound sign on a purple background as its official emblem for now.
Sunder Katwala, director of the thinktank British Future, stated the design appears modelled on the iron cross, a German military decoration used from 1871 to 1918 and later adopted by Hitler's Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945.
"The intended message may be about being crusaders," Katwala suggested. "Ukip has a strong focus on Britain being a Christian land and specifically are campaigning to scrap the government funding protective security measures for mosques which have experienced hate crimes and attacks."
Radicalisation and Street Politics
Under the leadership of Nick Tenconi, a personal trainer who took over last year, Ukip has shifted explicitly towards Christian nationalism. Tenconi has made extreme pledges, including one made at a party gathering in October, which is still promoted on Ukip's social media.
"I will deploy the military in Britain to round up and deport the Islamists, illegals and the communists," Tenconi declared.
Joe Mulhall, director of research at the anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate (HNH), warned that approving the logo could see the symbol on ballot papers. "Just a few years ago the idea that a far-right party echoing Nazi-style imagery could end up on ballot papers was unthinkable," Mulhall said, highlighting the group's concern about the normalisation of far-right policies.
Mulhall added that the logo signifies Ukip's radicalisation since the era of former leader Nigel Farage, transforming into a far-right organisation engaged in street politics. Party activists have been involved in protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers.
Electoral Decline and Scrutiny Process
Once a significant political force, Ukip's electoral presence has dwindled to near-negligible levels. The party, which won 24 seats in the 2014 European elections and 12.6% of the national vote in the 2015 general election, now has just one Kent county councillor and a handful of local parish and town councillors. Former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton is listed as its "honorary president".
The Electoral Commission has published the proposed name, description, and emblem for public scrutiny. The public can contact the commission to give views on whether the designs meet the legal criteria for registration. Emblems can be refused for being offensive, misleading, or for using prohibited words.
The commission and Ukip leader Nick Tenconi have been approached for comment on the ongoing assessment and the criticisms levelled at the proposed design.
