Although sometimes labelled as fascist, according to historian Roger Eatwell, "Most of its 2000–3000 active members were Colonel Blimpish rather than fascist: in fact many of its members saw it as a Conservative ginger group ... an attempt to keep the Conservatives true to the Imperial way." Indeed, it has also been argued that although parts of its ideology overlapped with fascism the LEL was in fact much too reactionary to be considered truly fascist, given the revolutionary nature of that ideology.