Ofcom rules SNP and Greens are not major UK parties

The Greens and the SNP should not be considered major UK parties in the run up to the General Election, according to a ruling by Ofcom.

Meanwhile the media watchdog has ruled that UKIP should be classified as a major party in England and Wales, but not in Scotland.

The decision was made based on past electoral support, along with current polling. The report lists the Conservatives, Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats as major UK parties, with the SNP added to the list for Scotland.

Ofcom rejected claims made by the Greens and SNP that membership numbers should be a factor in the decision – which will determine how many Party Election Broadcasts (PEB) each party is entitled to, as well as the weight of coverage given to each party by broadcasters.

The report says: “We note that even allowing for the reported growth in membership of the Green Party, the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish National Party (“SNP”), total party membership of all UK political parties remains a very small proportion of the total electorate.

“As such, we do not consider that party membership totals would be a robust indicator of wider support for the various parties across the electorate at large.”

It also rejected arguments for including the SNP as a major UK party, despite supporters citing the fact that it was: “the third largest political party” in the UK; “the only political party in the UK to hold a majority government”; and that it had now been invited by broadcasters to participate in planned broadcast leaders’ debates.

The report says: “The SNP exclusively fields candidates in Scotland, not England and Wales. The fundamental purpose of a PEB is to allow people who may vote for that party to hear its views. Viewers in England and Wales will not be able to vote for SNP candidates.”

Ofcom’s received 7,420 responses from individuals, following the publication of its consultation on the process.

Of those, 284 objected to the existing list of major parties (with a minority of these specifically objecting to the Liberal Democrats being called a major party), 6,386 objected to the Green Party (including the Scottish Green Party) being excluded, and 954 objected to UKIP being labelled a major party, (with 696 writing in support).

The SNP’s exclusion from the list of major UK parties drew 325 objections.

However the decision will not affect which leaders will appear on TV debates.

The report says: “It is important to make clear that this decision does not determine who should be invited to participate in any party leaders’ debates ahead of the General Election. This is a matter for the relevant broadcasters, in conjunction with the political parties concerned.”

The report adds: “The fact a party is on the major parties list does not mean it automatically receives the same number of PEBs, or exactly the same amount of editorial coverage, during an election campaign as other major parties. During the last General Election the number of PEBs allocated by the broadcasters to parties on the list ranged from two to five.”