Millions of people across the UK have already cast their ballots by marking a cross next to their chosen candidate and party logo – but have you ever wondered what each party’s logo is?
It’s the classic political face-off: the red rose of Labour vs the Conservatives’ oak tree, and the bold colours and emblems are designed to grab voters’ attention. While some logos date back decades, others have a more recent history.
Some logos share common themes with other parties abroad that share a common ideology, while others harness a national emblem or flag to appeal to the electorate. Here are each of the main political party’s logos and what they mean.
Red Rose – Labour
The red rose is not only the national flower of England, but has been a symbol of anti-authority since the Middle Ages. It has also been a symbol associated with socialism and is used by other left-wing parties across the globe.
Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock claimed to have brought the concept to the Labour party in 1980. Speaking to The Telegraph in 2001, he said: “I talked to a designer, a marvellous designer, and I gave him an idea of what I wanted.
“The one I wanted was from a rose catalogue given to me by my father-in-law, and I showed it to the guy: ‘This is the one I want, this kind of red.’ And he went away and he designed. It was marvellous.”
Scribbled oak tree – Conservatives
While an unusual choice at first, the Conservatives’ oak tree logo has significant symbolism. The party previously adopted an emblem of a burning torch in the colours of the Union Flag, drawing inspiration from the Olympic flame.
The design was ultimately scrapped in favour of a sketched oak tree – a national symbol – that represented renewal as the party aimed to wrestle back power from a then-dominant Labour.
Initially the oak tree had a green and blue colour scheme, but this has since been replaced with either an all-blue or Union Flag version.
Yellow bird of Liberty – Lib Dems
Typically, the symbolism of birds is one of liberty and liberalism and the Lib Dems‘ Bird of Liberty fits its political ideology. It replaced the previous logo in 1989.
Before that, the party used a yellow and black logo that looked eerily similar to a road sign.
Green Earth surrounded by leaves – Green Party
The Green Party is focused on improving the environment and combatting climate change. As such, it has opted for a logo that is meant to reflect this message, namely a green earth surrounded by leaves.
Green is typically incorporated into other environmental parties across the globe as it is a colour associated with nature and renewable energy.
Arrow surrounded by turquoise – Reform UK
A rather simple logo that hides a cunning trick, intentional or otherwise. When voters head to the polls, they will find the Reform UK logo actually points to the box where people can chose to place a cross.
Unusually, the logo is the is the same as the one used by the Brexit Party – a previous party led by Nigel Farage – and the single main difference is the change in words. The Brexit Party was officially succeeded by Reform UK once the UK left the European Union.
Black and yellow Saltire/thistle – Scottish National Party (SNP)
Despite looking like a ribbon, the logo is actually a combination of the Scottish Saltire and a thistle, the national flag and flower of Scotland respectively.
The party stands out from others in the UK by adopting a clashing yellow and black colour scheme.
Daffodil – Plaid Cymru
The party of Wales uses the daffodil as its political symbol, which is hardly a surprise. Daffodils are associated with Wales and are typically worn by Welsh people on St David’s Day on March 1.
Plaid Cymru advocates for greater Welsh autonomy within the UK and also aims to protect and increase the number of Welsh speakers in the country.
Red, White and Blue Lion – Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
The DUP is a unionist party in Northern Ireland, meaning they want to remain a part of the United Kingdom and oppose any attempt to join the Republic of Ireland.
It is not surprising that the party has chosen the lion draped in Union Flag colours as its emblem. The lion is seen not only as the national animal of England, but is also one of the animals associated with Britain.
A United Ireland -Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a Republican party based in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Its long-term aim is the unification of Ireland.
As such, the party uses a logo of a united Ireland to promote the party and gives a clear indication to voters about what it stands for.