The far-right British National Party (BNP) will now be barred from using its name at elections after it was removed from the register of political parties.
The Electoral Commission said the BNP had failed to confirm its registration details, something all parties must do on an annual basis, by its 7 January deadline.
‘Now that the party has been removed from the register, BNP candidates cannot, at present, use the party’s name, descriptions or emblems on the ballot paper at elections,’ said the Commission.
‘The party can, however, submit an application to re-register at any time and their name, descriptions and emblems are protected under PPERA [Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000] for two years to prevent other parties using them.
‘Any application will be considered by the Commission in line with its usual processes for assessing new applications to register political parties.’
BNP spokesman Stephen Squire told the BBC: 'It's the first I've heard of it - it's obviously an oversight.'
