Third parties
Third parties are individuals or organisations (other than political parties and candidates) which campaign during elections. In certain circumstances they must register with us and become subject to legal controls under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) on their spending and donations.
Permitted participants
Permitted participants are individuals or organisations that campaign for a particular outcome in a referendum. They are subject to similar legal controls under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) to those that apply to third parties.
Forms and guidance
Please see below for our forms and guidance for third parties and permitted participants.
European Parliamentary elections and a forthcoming UK Parliamentary general election
The regulated period for the 2009 European Parliamentary elections ran from 5 February 2009 until 4 June 2009. Third parties were subject to expenditure limits and donation controls during this period. For more information on your responsibilities, please see our guidance for recognised third parties (PDF), or our Welsh version (PDF).
The regulated period of the European Parliamentary elections 2009 will overlap with, or extend, the regulated period of the next UK Parliamentary general election. Third parties that campaigned in the European Parliamentary elections, and which are also intending to campaign at the next UK Parliamentary general election will need to take account of the changes to the regulated period of the general election and report on combined controlled expenditure limits. Please see our briefing note for recognised third parties (PDF) which explains combined controlled expenditure limits and third parties’ reporting responsibilities.
Registration of recognised third parties
For detailed information on registration please download our guidance on registering as a recognised third party (PDF). The forms and guidance required for registration of recognised third parties are:
- notification of recognised third party status form TP1 and guidance notes for TP1
- notification of alteration of recognised third party details form TP2 and guidance notes for TP2
- renewal of notification of recognised third party status form TP3 and guidance notes for TP3
Donation and expenditure reporting by recognised third parties
For detailed information on donations and expenditure please download our guidance for recognised third parties (PDF), or our Welsh version (PDF). The forms and guidance required for donation and expenditure reporting by third parties are:
- return of donations made to a recognised third party form TP42 and guidance notes for TP42
- controlled expenditure return by a recognised third party form TP41 and guidance notes for TP41
Combined limits apply when the regulated periods of two relevant elections overlap. In this situation the following form and guidance are required:
- combined limits expenditure return by a recognised third party form TP41C and guidance notes for TP41C
