How to Start a Political Party in the UK: Registration Explained

Yes: in the UK anyone can start a political party. People are free to form a group, give it a name and campaign for its aims. But if the party wants its name, descriptions or emblem to appear on ballot papers, it must be registered with the Electoral Commission under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA), and that means meeting a set of legal requirements.

This guide explains what registration involves, whether you need it to stand for election, and how ordinary membership of a party works.

Do you need a registered party to stand for election?

No. Under section 22 of PPERA, a candidate at most UK elections must either stand in the name of a registered party or stand without claiming to represent any party. A candidate in the second group can be described on the nomination paper as "Independent" or given no description at all. The Speaker of the House of Commons, when seeking re-election, can use the description "The Speaker seeking re-election".

What an unregistered group cannot do is have its name printed next to its candidates. That is the main practical reason to register. The section 22 rule does not apply to parish and community council elections.

Registering a party with the Electoral Commission

Choose a register

The Commission keeps separate registers for Great Britain and for Northern Ireland. An application must say whether the party intends to contest elections in Great Britain (and in which parts of it), in Northern Ireland, in both, or only at parish or community level in England and Wales.

Appoint the registered officers

Every registered party must have three registered officers:

• a leader, who is the party's overall leader or, if there is none, someone who leads it for a particular purpose;
• a nominating officer, responsible for the arrangements for putting forward candidates and for approving the party names, descriptions and emblems they use on nomination and ballot papers;
• a treasurer, responsible for making sure the party complies with the rules on accounts, donations and loans.

The person registered as leader may also be registered as nominating officer or treasurer, or both. A party can also register a separate campaigns officer to take on responsibility for campaign spending.

Adopt a financial scheme

A party cannot be registered unless it has adopted a scheme, approved in writing by the Commission, setting out how its finances will be managed. The scheme must say whether the party is a single organisation or a central organisation with separate accounting units, identified by reference to the party's constitution, the document that sets out how the party is structured and organised.

Declare assets and liabilities

Most applicants must also declare whether the party's assets and its liabilities are each no more than £500. A party that cannot make that declaration has to provide a record of its assets and liabilities.

Pay the fee

A registration fee applies, and registered parties must also confirm their details with the Commission every year, which involves a further fee. The Electoral Commission's guidance for parties gives the current amounts and the forms to use.

Rules on names, descriptions and emblems

The Commission must register a proposed name unless one of the grounds in section 28 of PPERA applies. The main ones are summarised below; similar tests apply to descriptions and emblems.

Item	Limit	Main grounds for refusal
Party name	No more than six words	The same as, or likely to be confused with, a party already on the register; obscene or offensive; publication likely to be an offence; likely to mislead voters about the effect of their vote; uses a script other than Roman; contains a prohibited word
Descriptions	Up to 12, each no more than six words	The same grounds, plus being the same as another party's name or description
Emblems	Up to three	The same as, or likely to be confused with, another party's emblem; obscene or offensive; likely to mislead voters; contains a prohibited word

Descriptions are short phrases a party registers for its candidates to use on nomination and ballot papers. For parties registering in Wales, a description may be given in English, Welsh or both, and the six-word limit applies to each version. If the Commission refuses an emblem, it must give the party its reasons.

Duties after registration

Registration brings continuing legal duties. A registered party may accept donations over £500 only from permissible donors, such as individuals on a UK electoral register and UK-registered companies carrying on business in the UK. Its treasurer must send the Commission quarterly reports of reportable donations, and the party must submit regular statements of accounts. Campaign spending is capped at elections. For more on the regulator, see what an electoral commission does.

These duties are the main argument for the system: voters can see who funds parties, and parties cannot use names designed to confuse. The main argument against is that the paperwork and cost may discourage very small groups, although standing as an independent remains open to anyone.

How joining a political party works

For most people, the more common question is how to join an existing party rather than found a new one. The details vary from party to party, but the process follows a broadly similar pattern.

1. Apply to the party directly, usually through its national website or a local branch.
2. Pay a membership fee. Each party sets its own subscription rates and rules on who can join.
3. Accept the party's rules. Membership commonly includes agreeing not to belong to a rival party, and sometimes signing up to the party's aims.

In return, members can usually take part in local meetings, campaign, help choose candidates and, in many parties, vote for the party leader. The details are set out in each party's own constitution and rules. For background on what parties are and how they are organised, see what is a political party.