Twitter Introduces Election 'Hashflags'

Twitter has introduced a new range of politically flavoured 'hashflags' in time for the General Election (or #GE2015, in Twitter speak).

Typing a hashtag for any of the ten largest political parties in the UK will automatically make a tiny emoji-sized logo appear next to the hashtagged word. Twitter announced the new election-inspired hashtags on its own Twitter feed:

The hashtags for the ten 'big' parties are #conservative, #labour, #libdems, #ukip, #greens, #snp, #plaid15, #dup, #sdlp and #respectparty. The Tories and the Respect Party have the longest hashtags, leaving the least room for tweeting, unlike the handily succinct SNP and the DUP.

Twitter previously used hashflags during the 2010 and 2014 World cups with each nation's three-letter abbreviation, plus a hash, bringing up the corresponding flag on Twitter.