Electoral Commission email

Posted by admin978 on November 6, 2014 · Leave a Comment

Electoral Commission headquarters in London

Hi Mark, this is Karim in the Electoral Commission press office. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

Firstly – when we spoke I had given you some incorrect information. The National Front did submit a Statement of Accounts. However all political parties, every year, need to renew their registration details with the Electoral Commission – basically confirming that the details we hold are correct. The National Front did not respond to our request to renew their registration details with us and when we asked if they wanted to be de-registered, they confirmed that they did.

I believe there’s a write up on your website about the National Front and it says that an Electoral Commission source was ‘sick and tired’ of hearing from the party and de-registered them. That’s not the case. I’d be grateful if you or one of your colleagues could amend the story.

In terms of what happens with the party name ‘ the ‘National Front’ – I have been informed that the party identifiers (name, description and emblems) are protected in law until the end of the financial year in which the party was de-registered – so that would be 31 December 2014.

From January, individuals from the two ‘groups’ would be able to make an application to register the party name or variations on the party name. Section 28 of the Political Parties Elections Referendums Act (PPERA) says that when two applications to register the same party name are pending at the same time, it’s the responsibility of the Electoral Commission to determine by reference to the history of each of the applicant parties which of them has the greatest claim to register the name.

So essentially, we have to wait to see what’s submitted in January.

I hope this clarifies the situation and as mentioned, grateful if you could amend the copy that’s on your website.

Please email or call me with any further questions.

Karim

Karim Aziz

Senior Media Relations Officer

The Electoral Commission

3 Bunhill Row

London EC1Y 8YZ

Tel: 020 7271 0512

www.electoralcommission.org.uk

Press office: 020 7271 0704