Statement on deregistration of the Welsh National Party by the Electoral Commission

Welsh National Party statement

Statement by Neil McEvoy MS, Leader of the WNP, on the Electoral Commission’s decision to remove the Welsh National Party from the Great Britain register of political parties following a threat of legal action by Plaid Cymru over our name. A copy of the email sent from the Commission is below.

“This is a shameful day for democracy in Wales. A new political party, which is poised to beat Wales’ First Minister in Cardiff West next year is cancelled because a competitor complained. This kind of thing does not happen in democracies.

“The WNP has been formally registered with the Electoral Commission for months and is a fully functioning political party. I sit in the Welsh Parliament as a Welsh National Party member. We have six Councillors sitting in three local authorities as Welsh National Party Members, with others to be announced. We already have hundreds of members across the country who are paying their standing orders to the WNP.

“We have complied with every regulation the Electoral Commission has and already submitted our quarterly electoral returns. We have done absolutely everything by the book. When the Commission rejected our proposed Welsh language name, claiming it could be confusing, we accepted the decision immediately and proposed a different one. But they failed to make a decision on that name in over two months.

“For the Commission to simply deregister our party is truly shocking. They didn’t even speak to us before doing so. How can we say we live in a democracy when rule abiding political parties are just cancelled overnight because a threatening letter is sent by a rival political party and their expensive London lawyers? All political parties must be treated equally and fairly.

“This decision is further proof of why we need fundamental change in Wales. The Establishment thinks it can do whatever it likes now. But they will find out though that there is a new force for change in Wales. We will be standing in the elections next year, come what may.

“The WNP believes that the Electoral Commission is acting unlawfully. We are seeking urgent legal advice and want a statement from the Speaker’s Committee in London who oversee the electoral commission.”