United Kingdom Independence Party

(UKIP)

   The United Kingdom Independence Party (commonly known as UKIP, pronounced ‘you kip’) is a eurosceptic political party that aims at British withdrawal from the European Union. In the 2004 European Parliamentary elections, the party’s profile was raised substantially in April and May 2004 by the surprise candidacy of former Labour Party Member of Parliament and chat show host Robert Kilroy-Silk. However, in January 2005, Kilroy-Silk headed a now-defunct breakaway movement which formed a new party, Veritas, with a broadly similar political outlook. UKIP has a few dozen local councillors, many of whom are defectors from other parties. In the 2004 elections it picked up two seats in the London Assembly and an impressive twelve in the European Parliament. It made no headway in the 2005 general election, fought under an electoral system that does not help small parties (first past the post).

   See also: europhobe, eurosceptic