WIREDGOV

The Electoral Commission has recently (8 January) removed the British National Party (BNP) from its register of political parties in Great Britain for failing to confirm their registration details with the Commission - a legal requirement that must be submitted annually.

The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) requires all registered political parties to:

• Submit an annual notification confirming that the details they have registered with the Commission remain accurate; and
• Pay a re-registration fee of £25.

The last date a notification can be submitted to the Commission is six months after the deadline for submission of a party’s statement of accounts. 

The BNP’s statement of accounts were due on 7 July 2015. Their annual confirmation of registered details was therefore due on or before 7 January 2016. The Electoral Commission did not receive the notification by this date and is required by law to remove the BNP from its register of political parties in Great Britain.

Now that the party has been removed from the register, BNP candidates cannot, at present, use the party’s name, descriptions or emblems on the ballot paper at elections. The party can, however, submit an application to re-register at any time and their name, descriptions and emblems are protected under PPERA for two years to prevent other parties using them. Any application will be considered by the Commission in line with its usual processes for assessing new applications to register political parties.

For further information contact Electoral Commission press office on 020 7271 0704 orpress@electoralcommission.org.uk 
Out of office hours 07789 920 414

Notes to editors

1. The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Our aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK’s democratic process. We regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections and are responsible for the conduct and regulation of referendums held under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act (2000).
2. For more information on political parties requirements under the law, see our guidance on maintaining party details here.
3. When parties submit their annual notification confirming that the details they have registered with the Commission remain accurate – they are confirming that the names of the party leader and treasurer; and the registered address of the party remain the same. If any of these details have changed, they must inform the Commission when submitting the notification.
4. The process for registering a political party is set out in our guidance here.