Ukip official wants compensation for T-shirts and mugs after lion logo axed

♦ A Ukip official is demanding compensation after its interim leader scrapped its new lion logo and brought back its longstanding pound sign.

Jason Lomax-hargreaves, chairman of a Ukip branch in Leigh, said he had been left £500 out of pocket with unsold T-shirts, mugs, hoodies and keyrings featuring the lion.

He said he was considering taking the party to a small claims court. Mr Lomax-hargreaves added: “We need to stop bouncing between bloody logos.”

Gerard Batten, who replaced Henry Bolton as interim leader last month, abandoned the lion logo after describing it as “a big mistake”.

The Ukip lion, chosen by party members at its annual conference in Torquay in September, was mocked by Gary Lineker, the BBC Match of the Day presenter, for its resemblance to the Premier League logo. Others said it was “slack jawed” with “vacant eyes”.

A Ukip spokesman said: “It is unfortunate Mr Lomax-hargreaves ordered the merchandise off his own bat and not through official suppliers. The party is not responsible for that.”

Separately Mr Bolton has said he is setting up a political party called Onenation to campaign “for our full independence from the EU”.