By Martin Banks - 12th February 2007
Plans by the UK Independence Party to rebrand itself have been dismissed as “irrelevant”.
From now on the party, which has ten MEPs, will be emphasising the word “independence” in its literature.
The party’s famous pound sign logo may also be dropped.
Party leader Nigel Farage said the move was designed to give the party a “broader” appeal in order to show that it is more than a single issue grouping.
“It has been suggested that the party campaign on the ‘independence’ theme for the UK local elections in May and this can be done in our literature," he said.
"As a party we must open our eyes to possible changes. When we adopted the pound sign it said what we stood for.
"That logo marks an historical victory rather than an aspiration for the future. We must look at alternatives."
A UKIP spokesman said the party wants to put more emphasis on independence, not just for the UK from Brussels but for local institutions such as councils, schools and hospitals from Whitehall.
He said, “I want to stress that there has been no change in the party’s name but, rather, a change of emphasis.
“However, our core policies on the EU will remain the same.”
Chris Heaton-Harris, a UK Conservative MEP, dismissed the move, saying, “They can call themselves what they like but they will remain an irrelevance.
“When it comes to Europe, UKIP has promised a lot but done very little and its members have failed to spark.”
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