How to maintain your registered political party
This guidance is for parties who want to know how to maintain and make changes to their registered details.
Registered political parties and their officers must comply with the law, in particular as set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).
Under PPERA, once you have registered, you must keep your party’s details up to date. This is the responsibility of your party treasurer.
As party treasurer, you are responsible for keeping your party's details up to date.
It covers:
- how to submit your annual confirmation registration
- how to change your registered details
- how to remove your party from the register
Fees
Depending on what details you need to change you may have to pay an administration fee. Any fees will be shown on your online application or on the relevant form.
Where there is a charge, the non-refundable fee is £25 per application, unless you are changing your minor party status. It is £150 to change your minor party status.
You can make more than one amendment per application.
You should allow 20 working days for us to process your application.
Our online system
You can amend your application online. If you don't have a PEF Online account, you will need to set one up to amend your details online. All of your party officers must have separate email accounts. You can pay any fee electronically when you apply online.
We have a step by step guide for using PEF Online to update your details.
If you cannot amend your details online, you will need to complete a form. To find the form, please go to the page that is about the change you want to make.
Your annual confirmation of registered details
In order to remain registered, every year you must confirm that your registered details are correct and pay a £25 fee. This is called your annual confirmation of registered details.
If any of your registered details are currently not correct, you must change them before confirming. You can do this all as one application.
Your annual confirmation is due within six months of the date that your annual accounts are due. We will send you a reminder ahead of this time. It remains your responsibility to deliver your confirmation on time.
If you don’t deliver your confirmation by the deadline, or you don’t notify us properly of any changes to your details when required, your party will be removed from the register. If this happens, then if you want to be on the register, you will need to make a fresh application to re-register your party and pay the full £150 registration fee.
Submit online
You can submit your annual confirmation using PEF Online.
We have a step by step guide on using PEF Online for your annual confirmation.
Other ways of submitting your annual registration confirmation
If you cannot confirm online, you can complete a form and return it to us.
The fee
There is an annual fee of £25.
If you make changes at the same time as your renewal, then if they come with a fee, that fee is added to the renewal fee.
You can pay your fee online during the confirmation process on PEF Online.
You can also pay by cheque, money order or by direct bank transfer. Please make any cheques payable to the Electoral Commission.
Contact our Registration Team if you have any questions about your party’s annual confirmation.
Changing your party addresses
You must tell us within 28 days if you make changes to your party's addresses.
You must tell us if there are any changes to:
- your registered party's headquarters or accounting unit addresses
- the home address details of a registered party officer
Submit online
You can do this using PEF Online.
Other ways to submit
If you cannot change your details online, complete a form and return it to us.
Your party treasurer must sign the form.
Changing your accounting units
Accounting units
Most parties operate as a single unit, which means the treasurer of the party has oversight over the finances of the entire party.
However, you may wish to register party branches that have financial autonomy. These are called “accounting units” and each unit is responsible for its own finances. Registering accounting units is optional.
Your financial scheme must specify if your party will have accounting units. Please note that our standard template scheme is not suitable for parties with accounting units.
If you have branches that are not financially autonomous, you do not need to register them as accounting units and they do not need to appear in your financial scheme. However, you may still want to refer to them in your constitution.
If you choose to register accounting units, each unit must have their own treasurer and second officer. You must also register the accounting unit’s headquarters address or a correspondence address if the accounting unit does not have a headquarters.
We can provide further advice on what is required, so please contact us in the first instance if you need more advice on accounting units.
Changes to your accounting units
You must tell us within 28 days if you make changes to your accounting units.
You must tell us if there are any changes to:
- the name of an accounting unit
- the names of an accounting unit’s registered officers
Submit online
You can do this using PEF Online.
Other ways to submit
If you cannot change your details online, complete a form and return it to us.
Your party treasurer must sign the form.
If you change the name of an accounting unit, including if you are adding, removing or merging accounting units, then this will require you to update your financial scheme.
Your registered party treasurer should contact our Party Registration team with your revised list of accounting units as soon as possible.
Changing your party’s registered officers
You must tell us within 14 days of any changes if you want to replace a registered officer.
A party must do this if an officer’s appointment has ended for any reason, including if an officer has passed away.
Changing your officers online
You can change your officers online, using PEF Online.
We have a step by step guide on using PEF Online to change your party officers.
Other ways to submit your changes
If you cannot change your details online, please complete a form and return it to us.
The form must be signed by:
- the current registered treasurer
- the current registered party leader
- the current registered nominating officer
- the new officer (if applicable)
If one person holds all three positions (treasurer, party leader and nominating officer) the form must be signed by either:
- your registered additional officer
- your registered campaigns officer (if you have one)
You should check your registered details to make sure the correct people sign the form.
What if an officer is unable to sign an application?
If a registered party officer is unable to sign, they can authorise another party officer to sign on their behalf.
The application must include both:
- a declaration explaining that the replacement person is authorised to sign in the required officer’s place
- a statement explaining why the required officer is unable to sign
We may ask for further information from you so that we can be satisfied that the application meets the requirements set out in law.
Please note that we are unlikely to consider that an officer is unable to sign a form if they are simply unwilling to do so. If you are unable to contact a required officer, we may request that you provide evidence of attempts you have made to contact that officer.
Treasurers
If the treasurer’s appointment has ended, or they have passed away, then the responsibility to sign a change of officer falls to the leader.
If the treasurer was also the party leader, then the responsibility falls to the nominating officer.
If the treasurer took all three roles, then the responsibility falls to the additional officer or campaigns officer.
This only applies to changes to the treasurer of the party and not the leader or nominating officer. We will likely request that you demonstrate that the treasurer’s appointment has ended so that we can be satisfied that the application meets the requirements set out in law.
Campaigns officers
If you are changing your campaigns officer, the process is the same as for changing any other officer.
However, if you are changing the structure of your party to add or remove the role of campaigns officer itself, this is a change to the register and requires a £25 fee.
You may also need to send us a revised financial scheme.
Revised financial scheme
You may need to send us a revised copy of your financial scheme if you are changing registered party officers who are named in the scheme.
If you are appointing a campaigns officer, you may need to send us a revised copy of your financial scheme to reflect the changes in responsibility.
Officer responsibilities
Registered officers of political parties will have a particular role within a party. Their roles will also carry certain statutory responsibilities.
Party leader
A party leader must be the overall leader of the party. If your party does not have an overall leader (if you have co-leaders, for example), you must register a person who is the leader for a particular purpose within the party. For example a final decision maker on internal party matters.
In the event that the party treasurer is no longer in post, the party leader will become the interim treasurer until the party notifies us of a replacement treasurer.
Party treasurer
The registered treasurer of a political party has significant legal responsibilities. They must ensure the party complies with the political finance rules set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA). It is therefore important that an appropriate person is registered as the party’s treasurer.
The treasurer must not have been convicted of any election offences in the 5 years before their appointment.
Nominating officer
The nominating officer for the party has overall responsibility for arranging the nomination of candidates and approving the party identity marks used on nomination forms and ballot papers at elections.
There is no provision under PPERA to register a deputy nominating officer. However, the registered nominating officer can authorise in writing someone to act on their behalf.
Additional officer
If you register an additional officer, they will have an official role of some kind in the party. You must register an additional officer with us if the party’s leader, treasurer, and nominating officer are the same person, and you do not have a campaigns officer. If this is not the case, then you cannot register an additional officer with us.
Campaigns officer
The campaigns officer will have responsibility for compliance with the financial reporting rules for campaign expenditure at particular elections. They will take these responsibilities from the treasurer of the party.
The campaigns officer must not have been convicted of any election offences within 5 years of their appointment and cannot be the same person as the treasurer.
Deputy treasurer and deputy campaigns officer
The registered treasurer or campaigns officer of the party can appoint up to 12 deputy officers to assist with authorising campaign expenditure. You may find this useful if your party is contesting a lot of seats. Use Form RP5 to register deputy officers.
Your party's officers
Political parties must have people registered in certain official roles. These roles are:
- party leader
- party treasurer (not applicable for minor parties)
- nominating officer
You must provide the names and home addresses for your officers.
You do not need to have three separate individuals in each role, but you must have at least two people as officers for the party. If one person fills all of the official roles you must register someone as an additional officer. The additional officer must hold a specified office or role within the party. If your party has a campaigns officer then they may be registered as the additional officer.
The treasurer and nominating officer cannot be the same person unless they are also the leader.
Please be aware that these are statutory roles that carry legal responsibilities.
Optional officer roles
Campaigns officer – who will be responsible for your party’s compliance with the financial laws for campaign expenditure instead of the treasurer. They cannot also be the treasurer
Additional officer – you must apply to have an additional officer if the party leader is also the treasurer and nominating officer and your party does not have a campaigns officer.
Minor parties
If you are a minor party, you must register a party leader and nominating officer. You must have at least two people in officer roles. If one person fills both roles, you must register someone as an additional officer. Minor parties cannot be registered with a treasurer or campaigns officer.
Changing which elections you intend to contest
Which parts of the UK you can contest elections in
If you are registered in Great Britain, you can change the parts of the register you appear in (England, Scotland, Wales).
This will allow you to contest elections in those parts of Great Britain.
When you submit an application to another part of the register, this requires us to assess your party’s existing identity marks on the new part of the register.
The Northern Ireland register is separate from the Great Britain register and requires a separate application.
Submit online
You can do this online, using PEF Online.
Other ways to submit
If you cannot submit online, complete a form and return it to us.
The form must be signed by:
- the current registered party treasurer
- the current registered party leader
- the current registered nominating officer
If one person holds all three positions (treasurer, party leader and nominating officer) the form must be signed by either:
- your registered additional officer
- your registered campaigns officer (if you have one)
If a registered party officer is unable to sign, they can authorise another party officer to sign on their behalf.
The application must include both:
- a declaration explaining that the replacement person is authorised to sign in the required officer’s place
- a statement explaining why the required officer is unable to sign
UK Parliamentary general elections
If your party decides that it will not be standing candidates in the next UK Parliamentary general election (UKPGE), you should notify us.
This means that you will be exempt from sending us weekly donation and loan reports during the election.
You should do this as soon as you are sure that you will not be standing candidates at the election.
If you change your mind and decide that your party will stand candidates at the next general election, you can withdraw the exemption.
Submit online
You can do this online, using PEF Online.
Other ways to submit
If you cannot submit online, complete a form and return it to us.
The forms must be signed by:
- the current registered party leader
- the current registered nominating officer
If the same person fills both these positions, the form must be signed by another registered officer of the party.
If either the party leader or nominating officer is unable to sign the form, another officer of the party must sign the form instead, making a declaration that they are authorised to sign in the registered officer’s absence, and explaining why the registered officer is unable to sign the form.
Annual renewal
If you told us when you registered that you would not be standing candidates at UKPGEs, all you need to do is confirm your intention when you submit your annual renewal.
If you do this, you will continue to be exempt from sending the weekly reports.
Minor parties
Minor parties can only contest parish or community council elections.
If you are registered as a minor party and want to contest any other elections, you will need to change your minor party status.
How to change your minor party status
If you are a minor party and you want to change your status to a registered political party, please contact us.
There will be a non-refundable application fee of £150.
Changing your party name, descriptions or emblems
We refer to your party name, descriptions and emblems collectively as “Identity Marks”. These are how a party may be identified on a ballot paper at elections. Some identity marks are mandatory whilst others are optional.
You must have a registered party name. This is a mandatory identity mark.
You may register up to three emblems and 12 descriptions. These are optional identity marks.
You do not need to register any party identity marks that you intend to use on campaign materials, unless you also intend to use them on a ballot paper.
You can apply to change your party name, descriptions, and emblems, and you can add joint descriptions.
Submit online
You can submit your application using PEF Online.
Other ways to submit
If you cannot submit online, complete a form and return it to us.
The form must be signed by:
- the current registered party treasurer
- the current registered party leader
- the current registered nominating officer
If one person holds all three positions (treasurer, party leader and nominating officer) the form must be signed by either:
- your registered additional officer
- your registered campaigns officer (if you have one)
If a registered party officer is unable to sign, they can authorise another party officer to sign on their behalf.
The application must include both:
- a declaration explaining that the replacement person is authorised to sign in the required officer’s place
- a statement explaining why the required officer is unable to sign
The fee
There is a fee of £25.
If you submit a number of changes to your identity marks in a single application, then there is only a single fee.
You can pay your fee online during the confirmation process on PEF Online.
You can also pay be cheque, money order or by direct bank transfer. Please make any cheques payable to the Electoral Commission.
Tests for identity marks
There are certain statutory tests and requirements which identity marks must meet in order to be registered. We will assess your application to register identify marks against these tests.
We explain these tests in the next sections of this document. From time to time, the Commission will also carry out reviews of identity marks on our registers. This is part of our duty to ensure we are maintaining the register of political parties.
Party name
A party must register a party name with us. It can use this name on ballot papers.
Parties that are applying to be registered in Great Britain and intend to contest elections in Wales may apply with a name in English and a name in Welsh to be the party’s registered names.
Parties that are applying to be registered in Northern Ireland may apply with a name in English and a name in Irish to be the party’s registered names.
We do not regulate how a party wishes to brand itself or which campaign phrases it uses with its name when that message does not appear on ballot papers.
If a party name is not registered with us, candidates will not be able to contest an election using that party’s name on ballot papers.
Party emblems on ballot papers
An emblem is an optional visual representation (or logo) of a party. Along with other identity marks, an emblem can help voters identify the party on ballot papers. Parties are able to register up to three emblems.
In order for the party or your candidate to use an emblem on a ballot paper, the party must register it with Electoral Commission.
You do not need to register an emblem if you only wish to use it on campaign material and not on ballot papers.
An emblem is intended to primarily comprise a pictorial or symbolic representation, and so must include this element. It may contain some text. If it comprises mostly of text then it is unlikely that we will register it as an emblem.
An emblem that contains text which cannot be read at the size emblems appear on ballot papers (2cm square) is also highly likely to be refused. We suggest that any text in an emblem is at least 1.2mm in height.
Party descriptions on ballot papers
A party description is an optional identity mark that you can register in addition to the party name which can appear on a ballot paper. A party is permitted to register up to 12 descriptions at any one time.
On most ballot papers, a party description can be used as an alternative to a party name. The description must therefore identify your party to a voter, in case it is used on a ballot paper rather than the party name. For example, a way to do that may be to include the party name in the description.
If in the Commission’s opinion a voter cannot identify the party from the description, it is not a description under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) and cannot be registered.
A description cannot be exactly the same as the party name.
Joint party descriptions
Two or more registered political parties can choose to share a party description which can then be used on a ballot paper. This is called a ‘joint description’ and can be used by all the parties that have registered one with other parties.
There are certain rules regarding the registration of joint descriptions. These are that:
- you can only share and jointly register one joint description per group of parties - however, you may register a joint description with more than one group of parties
- the wording of the joint description must identify all of the applicant parties to be capable of being a joint description
- joint descriptions do not count towards the maximum of 12 descriptions that you can register with us - this means you can register up to 12 descriptions, in addition to joint descriptions
When using a joint description the candidate will need to choose which of the party emblems that they wish to use on ballot papers.
You cannot register a joint emblem and instead can only use an emblem registered to any of the parties who have registered the joint description.
If you are thinking of registering a joint description, please contact us for advice in the first instance.
How we assess your identity marks
The law says that we will register your identity mark unless in our opinion it does not meet certain tests. We therefore have to assess your identity marks against those tests.
We look at how the proposed identity marks can be used on ballot papers, including the different ways in which they can be used on the ballot paper at different elections, and the need for every voter to be able to cast their vote with confidence.
We will register your identity mark unless in the Commission’s opinion it:
- is the same as another registered or protected identity mark which is on the same register
- is likely to result in voters confusing it with another party identity mark that is already registered or protected
- is likely to mislead voters as to the effect of their vote
- is likely to contradict or hinder instructions or guidance given for voting
- is obscene or offensive
- contains certain prohibited words
- contains more than six words
- is not in Roman script
- is likely to amount to an offence if published
As a guide, we are unlikely to register your identity mark if it:
- is, or contains an acronym or abbreviation that is not well known and widely used and not spelt out
- is a description that does not identify your party
- links in any way to online material or contains reference to online content, such as a Twitter hashtag or a QR code
- in most cases, if it contains a reference to a person’s name
- is an emblem that contains text which cannot be read at the size emblems appear on ballot papers (2cm square) – at this size, we suggest that any text in an emblem is at least 1.2mm in height
We cannot confirm whether your application will be successful in advance of you submitting it. It is your responsibility to determine the details of your application and to ensure that it complies with the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).
If your application is refused, we will notify you of our reasons in writing.
What we mean by “likely to confuse”
We are required to make sure that a voter can be confident that they do not confuse one party with another on the ballot paper, and so potentially cast a vote incorrectly.
This test looks at whether, in our opinion, a voter would confuse the identity mark of a party with another party’s identity mark which is already registered.
Our assessment of whether an identity mark is confusing will normally take into account whether the identity mark is visually the same (e.g. the words ‘stationary’ or ‘stationery’, similar images of boats) or contextually the same (e.g. ‘Party of the Oak’ and ‘The Oak Party’).
For emblems, we will consider whether the designed elements and text are different from other emblems.
What we mean by “likely to mislead a voter”
This test looks at whether in our opinion a party identity mark would be likely to lead a voter either to vote in a way they did not intend (e.g. for a party other than their preferred party) or to otherwise mark the ballot paper in a way which was not their intention.
We cannot register an identity mark if, in the Commission’s opinion, it is likely to result in a voter believing they are voting for an organisation that is not the party they intend to vote for.
We therefore recommend that prior to your application you undertake a search of the internet to see if there are any existing groups or organisations which have a name or logo which is the same as, or similar to, the identity marks that you want to apply to register. These groups may be campaigning groups, registered charities or other well-known organisations.
What we mean by ‘likely to contradict or hinder instructions or guidance given for voting’
We are required to consider whether an identity mark would contradict instructions or guidance for voting (e.g. ‘tick here’, or an emblem with a cross in it).
We will also reject an identity mark if, in our opinion, we believe a voter would likely make a mistake on the ballot which would invalidate their vote, for example by voting for too many candidates.
What we mean by “offensive”
We are likely to reject a name, description or emblem on grounds of offensiveness if, in our opinion, it:
- contains offensive language, phrase or terminology
- links something generally accepted to be offensive with a particular group of people
In assessing your proposed identity marks, we will have regard to the fact that parties must be able to express their political views and a voter must use a ballot paper in order to exercise their right to vote.
We also consider the wider external context and circumstances in which a name, description or emblem can or is likely to be used.
What is a "protected" identity mark?
When a party deregisters, its identity marks remain protected until a certain time. This is usually the end of the financial year in which the party is deregistered.
Until that time, other parties may not register identity marks that are the same as or, in our opinion, are likely to be confused with those protected identity marks.
Copyright and trade marks
As it is not covered by electoral law, we do not make any checks for infringement of intellectual property rights when we register a party’s identity marks. So, before you apply, you should make sure that your identity marks are not breaching any copyright and trade mark laws.
If you register your party’s identity marks and then discover that they are infringing copyright or trademark, you could be subject to legal challenge by the registered owner.
For more information, please visit the Government’s Intellectual Property Office website.
Can acronyms or abbreviations be used?
If an acronym or abbreviation is not well-known or widely-used in everyday language, it will not normally be permitted for you to use as your party identity mark. This is because in our opinion, most voters will not know the meaning, and are therefore likely to be misled.
Examples of well-known acronyms used in common language include ‘UK’, ‘GB’ and ‘NHS’. We will consider certain well-known and widely-used acronyms such as these as one word.
If in our opinion an acronym is not well-known and widely-used, the words it is intended to represent must be spelled out and written in lower case or in sentence case. The acronym can then be added next to this, and each word, including the acronym will count towards the overall six-word limit.
Words within a party identity mark can have initial capital letters. Words that are not acronyms should not be in all capital letters. If you apply to register an identity mark containing fully capitalised words that are not acronyms, we will consider that identity mark instead as though those words had initial capital letters instead (e.g. ‘PARTY OF THE OAK’ would be considered as ‘Party Of The Oak’).
What languages can I use in party identity marks?
You can apply to use a language other than English in your identity marks for use on ballot papers.
However, the party name and any descriptions must be in Roman script, even if it is registered in a language other than English. It is likely to be acceptable if you can use a UK based keyboard to produce the identity mark without using special characters.
Parties that are applying to be registered in Great Britain and intend to contest elections in Wales may apply with a name in English and a name in Welsh to be the party’s registered names. These parties can also apply to register descriptions expressed in English or Welsh (or both). You can choose to display both of these on ballot papers.
Parties that are applying to be registered in Northern Ireland may apply with a name in English and a name in Irish to be the party’s registered names.
The proposed identity mark in each language cannot be longer than six words.
For elections in other parts of the UK the party name or description can only appear in one language on the ballot paper.
If a party applies to register a name in a language other than English, Welsh (if in Wales), or Irish (if in Northern Ireland), the application must include an accurate English translation as part of your application. All translations are verified for accuracy.
This means that you will be able to choose the most appropriate language for your party’s identity mark to appear on ballot papers.
Other things to consider if you intend to contest elections in Wales
As a public body operating in Wales, we are required to carry out our functions in line with the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 and the Welsh Language Standards. We treat the Welsh language with equal favour to English in performing our functions in Wales, including when taking decisions on party applications.
This means that if you are registered to contest elections in Wales and have applied with either English-only or Welsh-only identity marks, then we will translate your identity marks (either from English to Welsh, or Welsh to English) and consider the relevance that those translations have with regards to the statutory tests.
It is possible, therefore, that a proposed identity mark in English or Welsh may be refused based on how it is expressed in the other language, even if you have not applied to register a translation for that identity mark.
It is important for us to undertake these steps to make sure that voters in Wales can mark their ballot paper with confidence.
You should take this into account if you are registered in Wales and, where possible, consider how your party’s identity marks would be interpreted by a voter in Wales.
Can numerals be used?
If your party identity mark either starts or ends with a numeral, we are unlikely to approve it for registration in that form. Instead, we will ask you to spell it out as a word rather than use a numeral.
This is because at some elections voters are asked to rank candidates by order of preference using digits. Party identity marks that start or end with a numeral are likely to be misleading with the numbers on the ballot paper and the instructions on how to vote.
We may register a party identity mark that uses numerals in the middle, depending on how they are used and whether it is likely to mislead voters.
Can links to online material be used?
Your party may use a website or social media to communicate with voters. However, websites or social media links (e.g., Twitter hashtags or Facebook pages) should not be used as part of your identity marks.
In assessing your identity mark, we must determine whether it meets the statutory tests. If your identity mark links to online material we are likely to refuse it as we are unable to assess material that has potential to change over time against the statutory tests.
Can an individual’s name be used?
Generally we will not accept the use of an individual’s name in an identity mark.
This is because instructions on ballot papers often state that the ballot paper is for the election of a candidate to a specific constituency, ward or other area. If a person’s name, other than one of the candidates’, appears on ballot papers for any given area it is likely to contradict the instructions for voting.
We will need to form an opinion as to whether in the particular identity mark we are assessing, the inclusion of the name is likely to contradict or hinder an elector’s understanding of directions given for their guidance in voting, on the ballot paper or elsewhere.
What are prohibited words?
Some words cannot be used on ballot papers without being qualified by other words. This applies to the plural or singular of the prohibited words, as well as the prohibited words written in another language.
These words are split into four categories (see below).
In addition to the rules below, you cannot register ‘None of the above’ either in isolation or in conjunction with other words or expressions.
Category 1
Category 1 prohibited words are: Duke, Duchess, Her Majesty, His Majesty, King, Prince, Princess, Queen, Royal, Royalty
These words cannot be used in identity marks on their own. You can only use category 1 words in conjunction with the name of a place, institution or local government area.
For example you cannot use ‘Royal Forever Party’ because ‘Royal’ is not being used with the name of a place, institution or local government area.
You could use ‘Royal Tunbridge Wells Party’ because ‘Royal’ is being used in conjunction with a place.
Category 2
Category 2 prohibited words are: Britain, British, England, English, National, Scotland, Scots, Scottish, United Kingdom, Wales, Welsh
These words cannot be used in identity marks on their own. You can only use category 2 words if you use them with another word or expression other than the name or description of a party already registered in the relevant part of the UK.
For example you cannot register ‘English One Big Party’ if there was an already registered ‘One Big Party’, because ‘English’ is being used with the name of an existing registered party.
Category 3
Category 3 prohibited words are: Independent, Official, Unofficial
These words cannot be used in identity marks on their own. You can only use category 3 words if the word is used with another word or expression, but not with any of:
- an existing registered name or description
- only with the word ‘party’
- another category 3 word
For example you cannot use the ‘Independent Stop the Bypass Party’ if there was an already registered ‘Stop the Bypass Party’ because ‘Independent’ is being used with the name of an existing registered party. You cannot register the ‘Independent Party’.
Category 4
Category 4 prohibited words are: Ratepayers, Residents, Tenants
These words cannot be used in identity marks on their own. You can only use category 4 words in conjunction with the name of a local government or geographical area. For example you can register ‘Residents of York Party’ because ‘Residents’ has been used in conjunction with ‘York’, a geographical area.
You cannot register ‘Residents Action Group’ or ‘Residents Unite’ because ‘Residents’ is not being used in conjunction with the name of a local government or geographical area.
Changes to your financial scheme
If you are registered as a political party and your financial scheme is updated, you must send the Commission a copy for it to be approved in writing.
You may be required to amend your financial scheme in certain circumstances to reflect your parties’ structure and practice. This includes:
- if you intend to add or remove the post of campaigns officer
- if you register a new person to be the party’s treasurer or campaigns officer and they are named in the financial scheme
- if you register new, remove, or rename any of the party’s accounting units
- if you begin to have, or cease to have, deputy treasurers and/or deputy campaigns officers
- you register a party on the Great Britain and Northern Ireland register
- if your processes for managing your financial affairs change since the last financial scheme
What must your financial scheme include?
Your scheme must include procedures for:
- recording and reporting your accounts
- handling donations and loans
- maintaining your registered details with us
- authorising and reporting on campaign spending
As part of the assessment process, we may ask you to evidence how the party has adopted its financial scheme. For example, you may be asked about what procedures the party has in place to deliver the obligations set out in its financial scheme.
A party registered in both the Great Britain and the Northern Ireland registers are two separate registered parties for the purposes of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).
If you register on both the Great Britain and Northern Ireland registers, your financial scheme must show that the financial affairs of the party in Great Britain will be conducted entirely separately from those of the party in Northern Ireland. This is important because the rules about where a party can obtain its funding from differ depending on which register the party is registered.
If you are, or are intending to be, registered as a party with accounting units then each unit must be named within the party’s financial scheme. Our template scheme is not suitable if this is what you intend. We can provide further advice on what is required, so please contact us in the first instance if you intend to have accounting units.
Changes to your constitution
Your constitution should be kept up to date. You should provide us with an updated copy whenever you change it, or if you change your party’s name.
You must notify us of any changes made to your constitution since you last delivered your annual confirmation of registered details or, if you’ve not delivered one yet, since your party was first registered.
Your party's constitution
Political parties must have a written constitution that sets out the structure and organisation of their party. This should set out the arrangements for your party’s governance and the rules for carrying out its business. The constitution must show that the party can comply with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) – i.e., nothing in it can contradict legal requirements.
It is possible that your party’s constitution will comprise more than one document. For example, your party may have a set of Rules and Standing Orders for meetings. Any document which determines the party’s structure and organisation will be part of the party’s constitution under PPERA and must also, therefore, be provided to us as part of the application.
It is important your financial scheme and constitution correspond and do not conflict with each other. For example, the two documents should agree on how your accounts are signed off, who is responsible for the accounts and who can authorise campaign expenditure at elections.
Your constitution must include sufficient information about the structure and organisation of your party for your application to be approved.
A party does not need to be registered as a company so that it can register with us. If your party is structured in this way then the constitution should include details of how the company registration impacts on, or interacts with, the party’s structure and organisation. Any relevant information should also be reflected in the processes outlined in the party’s financial scheme.
Minor parties are not required to have a constitution or submit one as part of their application.
Equalities law
You must ensure that your constitution and how your party operates complies with equalities law. In particular, you should ensure that your constitution does not unduly discriminate against persons with protected characteristics from becoming party members. Otherwise, your constitution will not be lawful and your application will be refused. You should read the guidance for political parties produced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission which is available on their website.
As with the other requirements for registration, the fact that your application must be compliant with equalities law does not mean that your party cannot campaign on policies to change the law.
What should your party’s constitution include?
Your constitution must reflect how your party is run and managed. As a guide your constitution should include:
- details of the register or registers the party is registered in. A party registered in both the Great Britain and Northern Ireland registers are two separate parties for the purposes of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA). Where a party is registered in both the Great Britain and Northern Ireland registers, the party’s financial scheme must show that the financial affairs of the party in Great Britain will be conducted separately from those of the party in Northern Ireland. The constitution should also reflect that.
- the party’s aims and objectives
- a reference to an intention to contest elections and at what type of elections, for example UK Parliamentary general elections
- the candidate selection process (or at least a statement that the party will have one).
- the structure of the party and who is responsible for managing the party, including the responsibility of the party officers, the terms of office and procedure for change of those officers
- how the party will make and record decisions, as well as any other governance arrangements. For example, the frequency, timing and type of meetings and the quorum for meetings
- how the party will resolve internal disputes and whether the party has any disciplinary procedures. You should be aware that we cannot resolve internal disputes for your party
- the processes and rules governing membership of the party
- that the party have adopted its financial scheme
- how the constitution can be changed and the process for dissolution of the party.
How to remove your party from the register
You can remove your party from the register.
However, you may still have reporting obligations after your party is removed.
There is no fee to remove your party from the register. We will write to you to confirm that your party has been deregistered.
We will also remove your party from the register if you don’t confirm your annual registration.
Submit online
You can deregister your party using PEF Online.
Other ways of deregistering your party
If you cannot confirm online, you can complete a form and return it to us.
Your reporting obligations
If your party was deregistered because you did not complete your annual registration confirmation, then you must continue with your party's reporting obligations until the end of your party's financial year.
If you have voluntarily deregistered your party, then it depends on your party's income and expenditure for its previous financial year:
- if both your income and your expenditure were under £25,000, you must continue with your reporting obligations until the end of your party's financial year
- if either your income or expenditure was over £25,000, you must continue with your reporting obligations until the end of your party's next financial year