Prominent members of the far-Right including the former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson have been stripped of their cherished blue ticks on Twitter after the social network changed its rules around "verified" accounts.

The social network announced new guidelines for verified accounts that can see users lose their status if they harass or threaten people based on race, sexual orientation or religious belief. The rules are designed to account for behaviour "on and off" Twitter, meaning users can lose their blue ticks even if they do not violate its rules directly.

Twitter has verified the accounts of celebrities, politicians and other public figures since 2009, with small blue ticks appearing next to the profiles. The mark was meant merely to confirm authenticity, but has since been seen as an endorsement and a badge of honour.

It has become increasingly problematic as Twitter has changed to give more prominence to verified accounts in timelines and searches.

On Wednesday night, Twitter unverified a handful of accounts, particularly those associated with white supremacism and the far-Right. They included Robinson, the American white supremacist Richard Spencer, and Jason Kessler, who organised a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.