That has exposed the British consumer to a different way of living.”Mr Br? who is in charge of the Design Directory, said that the Lifestore would be competing most obviously with Habitat. Whether they’re getting it right remains to be seen.” If it works, Lifestore will be the most important new departure at M&S since the introduction of food.But Mr Br?claims that cheap flights and foreign city breaks are changing British shopping habits.”I think the British public are definitely interested in a concept like this,” he said in an interview last week. “I hope they succeed in some ways,” said Steve Gotham from the retail consultancy Verdict “It’s a brave move and they’re breaking new ground. And instead of the usual soft furnishing or kitchenware departments, there are themed spaces, such as “rest”, “relax” and “cook”.Retail analysts describe the £14m Gateshead venture as a gamble, pointing out that M&S’s core following is middle aged while the styles in Lifestore are favoured by young city dwellers.The household market is also a tough one. Significantly, Mr Radice began his career under the tutelage of Terence Conran at Habitat.Customers expecting three-piece suites and sideboards will instead find an “eclectic” mix of modern designs and fashionable hard surfaces in plain wood, aluminium and perspex.Instead of a catalogue there is a Design Directory, compiled by Tyler Br? founder of Wallpaper* magazine, the house journal for style addicts. Further branches are planned in Kingston, Surrey, and Thurrock in Essex.The 70,000sq ft store even includes a two-storey show house designed by the architect John Pawson, a champion of minimalism. The launch is the brainchild of Vittorio Radice, the former chief executive of Selfridges, who was poached by M&S last year.

Described as minimalist, radical and chic, it promises to be one of the biggest shocks for customers of Marks & Spencer in the company’s 120-year history. That led to a website, which quickly resulted in a national campaign.”I never expected it to become so big,” she said “But no party politics are allowed. There is no political affiliation, although we’ve had a few of the smaller parties trying to jump on the bandwagon But we’ve said no to all of them.”. It began last year when retired army major John Melsom and his wife Christine, from Hampshire, gave an interview to their local paper when council tax went up by 15 per cent. “I’m involved in the council tax campaign because of the UKIP,” he said. “We’re trying to get involved in local government, to get ourselves known. The council tax campaign was a good chance to get involved with the community, and so it turned out to be.

It did start from my UKIP work, but I’m a member of the Meon Valley Action Group and that work is non-political.”The national campaign against high council tax rises is called Is It Fair? and affiliates local groups. “I told the UKIP and the action forum that I was going, and they must have told other people,” she said “I didn’t ask them for any help or advice. Money going to Europe is one of the things I’m concerned about.The expenses of the council leader is four times my income. But if I was a millionaire I’d say the same.”Another pensioner, Fred Estall, 80, from Southampton, who appeared in court last month for non-payment of his council tax, is also a UKIP member. But we are absolutely not trying to take over.”Ms Winkfield, from Westward Ho! in Devon, had not expected the legions of national newspaper and television reporters. Nor had she anticipated the large crowd of placard-waving supporters – half of whom are thought to be from the UKIP.Ms Winkfield told The Independent on Sunday: “If I’d known what was going to happen I would have been terrified out of my wits.