Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
Encyclopedia
The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 (c. 48), or An Act to make provision about the registration of political parties was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
to set up a register of political parties
in the United Kingdom
. Previously there had been no such register, and political parties were not specially recognised. There are currently 342 political parties registered in the UK.
The legislation was introduced for a variety of reasons. It was planned to introduce some elements of list-based proportional representation
in elections to the Scottish Parliament
and Welsh Assembly, and for that, political parties needed to have a stronger legal recognition. Additionally, various pieces of legislation needed to refer to parties and so were using ad-hoc definitions, which might have been incompatible.
Another motivation was the use of the terms Literal Democrats the Conversative Party and the Labor Party by people in elections in the 1990s. The use of the name Literal Democrats was condemned as potentially confusing with the Liberal Democrats. In the 1994 European Elections
, Richard Huggett
stood as a 'Literal Democrat' candidate for Devon and East Plymouth
, causing the real Liberal Democrats to lose to the Conservative Party
in that seat.
The legislation therefore introduced a register of political parties; and included provisions to prohibit 'confusion' with already-existing parties, names that were 'more than six words', or were 'obscene or offensive'.
As logo
s were also to be permitted on ballot papers, the act also introduced a similar register for emblems, which had the result that the Communist Party of Britain
is the only party in the United Kingdom permitted to use the hammer and sickle
as its ballot paper logo, although they usually use the hammer and dove variant. Parties may register more than one emblem, or none at all, most have two or three.
The act was amended by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
(2000 c. 41) to change the registration authority to the Electoral Commission
.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
to set up a register of political parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Previously there had been no such register, and political parties were not specially recognised. There are currently 342 political parties registered in the UK.
The legislation was introduced for a variety of reasons. It was planned to introduce some elements of list-based proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
in elections to the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
and Welsh Assembly, and for that, political parties needed to have a stronger legal recognition. Additionally, various pieces of legislation needed to refer to parties and so were using ad-hoc definitions, which might have been incompatible.
Another motivation was the use of the terms Literal Democrats the Conversative Party and the Labor Party by people in elections in the 1990s. The use of the name Literal Democrats was condemned as potentially confusing with the Liberal Democrats. In the 1994 European Elections
European Parliament election, 1994 (UK)
The European Parliament Election, 1994 was the fourth European election to be held in the United Kingdom. It was held on 9 June, though, as usual, the ballots were not counted until the evening of 12 June. The electoral system was, for the final European election, First Past the Post in England,...
, Richard Huggett
Richard Huggett
Richard John Huggett is a British citizen noted for standing in a variety of elections using descriptions which were similar, but not identical, to those of established political parties, leading to this practice being outlawed under the Registration of Political Parties Act 1998.Most notably he...
stood as a 'Literal Democrat' candidate for Devon and East Plymouth
Devon and East Plymouth (European Parliament constituency)
Devon and East Plymouth was a European Parliament constituency covering all of Devon in England, with the exception of the city of Plymouth. It was created in 1994 to replace the majority of Devon and a small part of Cornwall and Plymouth....
, causing the real Liberal Democrats to lose to the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in that seat.
The legislation therefore introduced a register of political parties; and included provisions to prohibit 'confusion' with already-existing parties, names that were 'more than six words', or were 'obscene or offensive'.
As logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
s were also to be permitted on ballot papers, the act also introduced a similar register for emblems, which had the result that the Communist Party of Britain
Communist Party of Britain
The Communist Party of Britain is a communist political party in Great Britain. Although founded in 1988 it traces its origins back to 1920 and the Communist Party of Great Britain, and claims the legacy of that party and its most influential members Harry Pollitt and John Gollan as its...
is the only party in the United Kingdom permitted to use the hammer and sickle
Hammer and sickle
The hammer and sickle is a part of communist symbolism and its usage indicates an association with Communism, a Communist party, or a Communist state. It features a hammer and a sickle overlapping each other. The two tools are symbols of the industrial proletariat and the peasantry; placing them...
as its ballot paper logo, although they usually use the hammer and dove variant. Parties may register more than one emblem, or none at all, most have two or three.
The act was amended by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000
The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets out how political parties, elections and referendums are to be regulated in the United Kingdom...
(2000 c. 41) to change the registration authority to the Electoral Commission
Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections...
.