Veritas is a United Kingdom political party, formed in 2005 as a split from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). It was founded, and is led, by Robert Kilroy-Silk, who was elected in 2004 as a UKIP Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands. Damian Hockney, a member of the London Assembly has also joined the new party as Deputy Leader, as has fellow Assembly member Peter Hulme-Cross.

The party was officially launched at a news conference on February 2, 2005. Mr Kilroy-Silk proclaimed that "unlike the old parties, we shall be honest, open and straight", and that Veritas - Latin for "truth" - would avoid the old parties' "lies and spin". Its creation had been rumoured for some months, and the domain name 'veritasparty.com' was registered on December 30, 2004.

The party's first electoral opportunity is likely to be the General Election widely expected to be held on May 5, 2005, and its principal challenge will be to supplant UKIP as the foremost UK party committed to outright rejection of the European Union. On the day of the party's launch The Times suggested the party wishes to challenge for most seats. Kilroy-Silk himself will contest the seat of Erewash in Derbyshire - currently held by Elizabeth Blackman of the Labour Party.

At present, Veritas's policies seem to indicate it as almost a single-issue party - during the launch conference Mr Kilroy-Silk attacked the level of immigration to the United Kingdom in preference to the eurosceptic general position of UKIP.

The party has been criticised as little more than a vanity vehicle for Kilroy-Silk after his failed leadership bid for UKIP, and has led to some derision in the UK media.

External links

• Veritas - Official site (http://www.veritasparty.com/)
• BBC news story on the launch of the party (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4227921.stm)
• Vanitas - Spoof website (http://www.vanitasparty.com/)