There's a group claiming to be part of the United Kingdom Independence Party which does not want independence from the EU

A group claiming to be a faction of Ukip says it is supporting vote "remain" in the EU referendum. Yes, you read that correctly.

The group calls itself 'Ukip to Stay' on its blog and Twitter account, and claims to align itself broadly with Ukip's policies - just not the main one about leaving the EU. You know, the party's raison d'etre.

The Guido Fawkes blog has questioned whether the group is a parody, opening their article on the campaign with everyone's sentiment:

Surely this must be a wind up.

The campaign has since responded on Twitter, claiming it is legitimate:

In addition, in the campaign’s Q&A page they respond to whether they are a joke:

No, this is entirely serious. As mentioned in our mission statement, we have a vision of how UKIP and the EFDD group as a whole can better carry out their policy wishes from within a reformed EU.

UKIP has a lot more to offer than mostly Eurosceptic views. The party’s ideas for the economy, immigration, welfare, taxation, and education all fit with what we believe. We simply differ on one issue.

The funny thing is, the group may actually be genuine.

The news comes after a YouGov poll for the Times earlier this month found that 28 per cent of Ukip voters would vote to remain in the EU – despite the party’s entire existence being about leaving the bloc.

We've indulged ourselves and mocked up our best impression of Ukip to Stay's rallies:

A spokesperson for Ukip was more cynical, telling i100:

In politics there are hundreds of spoof Twitter accounts, some wise, some witty and in this case some banal.

The campaign's members have not yet identified themselves and is at present anonymously run. Ukip to Stay has been contacted by i100 for comment.

So what do you think?