Remembrance Sunday: Ukip asks Queen to intervene so Nigel Farage can lay wreath at Cenotaph service
The UK Independence has written to the Queen appealing to be included in this year's Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph in Westminster.
Ukip MEP and former soldier Mike Hookem asked the monarch to "intervene on the part of over 3.8m of your people" and allow Ukip to have a representative on Sunday.
As "the third most popular political party in the UK", Hookem argued Ukip should be represented at the Cenotaph.
According to rules agreed in 1984, parties must have at least six MPs to be allowed to lay a wreath, while those with between two or five can send representatives to the service but can not lay a wreath.
Read more: The Remembrance Sunday services taking place in London
Ukip currently has just one MP, despite winning 12 per cent of the vote at the general election.
Hookem, MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, also wrote to Culture secretary John Whittingdale asking for an explanation as to why Nigel Farage was not invited to lay a wreath alongside other party leaders.
He wrote:
It seems convenient for the government that they can so easily dismiss the largest group of UK MEPs who were elected from our party when it comes to including us in national events, but like to wax lyrical about the importance of our influence in the European Union when it comes to discussing our membership.
In response, Whittingdale argued that the invitations were governed by a formula which had the agreement of the Queen:
The laying of wreaths by Parliamentary leaders is governed by a formula put in place in 1984 with the agreement of The Queen and the Speaker of the House of Commons following discussion with party leaders based on the number of Westminster parliamentary seats.
This stipulates that only the leaders at Westminster of parties which had won and taken up six or more seats at the preceding general election should lay wreaths.