British National Party removed by Electoral Commission from its official list of political parties after BNP fails to register
The Electoral Commission has removed the British National Party (BNP) from its official list of registered political parties after the BNP failed to confirm its registration details with the commission.
Registering details of a political party with the Electoral Commission on an annual basis is a legal requirement.
"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 said a statement released today.
"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."
Read more: British National Party decides to field London mayoral candidate David Furness
As 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 Electoral Commission added.
However, the party is able to submit an application to re-register at any time and its name, descriptions and emblems are protected under The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) for two years to prevent other parties using them.
Any application will be considered by the Electoral Commission in line with its usual processes for assessing new applications to register political parties.