Ukip’s Iron Cross Controversy: New Emblem Under Review
The UK Independence Party is facing renewed controversy after submitting a proposed new party emblem that critics say closely resembles the Iron Cross, a symbol historically associated with Imperial Germany and later adopted by the Nazi regime.
Ukip’s Iron Cross
The new design is currently being reviewed by the Electoral Commission, after a previous Ukip application was rejected last November on the grounds that it was offensive. That earlier submission featured a black cross pierced by both a sword and a spear.
Ukip, once led by Nigel Farage, has now returned with a revised version. The updated emblem removes the sword but retains a bold black cross motif, accompanied by the word “Ukip” and the slogan “The New Right” beneath it.
Critics argue that the symbolism remains deeply troubling. Sunder Katwala, director of the British Future think tank, said the logo appears to draw heavily on the Iron Cross used by Germany between 1871 and 1918 and later by Adolf Hitler’s regime from 1933 to 1945.
Katwala said the imagery may be intended to evoke crusader symbolism, reflecting Ukip’s increasingly explicit focus on Christian nationalism. He noted that the party has recently campaigned to end government funding for protective security at mosques, despite a rise in hate crimes and attacks against Muslim communities.
Although Ukip continues to officially list its traditional yellow-and-purple pound sign logo, the party has shifted much of its activity toward street protests in recent years. Its activists were present at several demonstrations last summer outside hotels housing asylum seekers, though their involvement was not always welcomed by other protest groups.
Once a significant electoral force, Ukip’s influence has sharply declined. The party secured 24 seats in the 2014 European Parliament elections and 12.6 percent of the national vote at the 2015 general election. Today, its representation is minimal, consisting of a single Kent county councillor who defected from Reform UK and a small number of parish and town councillors. Former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton is listed on the party’s website as its honorary president.
Since last year, Ukip has been led by Nick Tenconi, a former personal trainer who has sought to reposition the party as an explicitly Christian nationalist movement. At a Ukip gathering in October, Tenconi said he would deploy the military within Britain to round up and deport what he described as Islamists, illegal migrants and communists, remarks that continue to circulate on the party’s social media channels.
Tenconi also serves as chief operating officer of Turning Point UK, the British offshoot of a conservative pressure group founded by US activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last year. Turning Point UK has maintained some contact with the Conservative Party, including a meeting between party leader Kemi Badenoch and its activists following Kirk’s death.
The anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate has warned that approval of the new logo could result in the symbol appearing on ballot papers. Joe Mulhall, the group’s director of research, said the application highlighted how far Ukip has moved toward the far right.
“Just a few years ago, the idea that a party echoing Nazi-style imagery could appear on ballot papers would have been unthinkable,” Mulhall said. “Ukip’s new logo reflects how the party has radicalised since the Farage era. Under Tenconi’s leadership, it has become a far more extreme organisation rooted in street politics.”
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The Electoral Commission publishes details of party names, descriptions and emblems under assessment and allows members of the public to submit comments. Emblems can be rejected if they are considered offensive, misleading or in breach of restrictions on prohibited language or imagery.
The commission confirmed it has received Ukip’s application and said it will consider public feedback before reaching a decision.
Ukip has rejected comparisons with Nazi symbolism. A party spokesperson said the logo incorporates what they described as the holy lance, the eucharist and the cross pattée, elements they say represent the party’s commitment to restoring Christianity to the heart of government.
“It is outright offensive, ignorant and Christophobic to claim that the cross pattée is a Nazi symbol,” the spokesperson said, adding that the symbol appears throughout British history, including in the Victoria Cross and royal and parliamentary insignia.
Despite the ongoing review, the emblem has already been seen on flags at Ukip demonstrations. Its future use on official ballot papers now rests with the Electoral Commission’s final ruling.
