UK BLM affiliate not behind attempt to use name for political party

Activists from Black Lives Matter’s UK affiliate have said they were not behind an attempt to register the name as a new UK political party.

A notice of the application to register a UK-wide political party under the name Black Lives Matter was published by the Electoral Commission on Monday.

Sources from Black Lives Matter’s UK affiliate – now officially registered as a community benefit society under the name Black Liberation Movement UK – denied involvement. Speaking on behalf of the group, Lemara Francis said: “BLM is proud to be a political organisation, but has no plans to set up a political party.

“BLM UK launched in 2016. We have been doing grassroots community work and direct action across the UK for the last four years. We are part of the global BLM network working to end racism and anti-black violence.

“This year, the surge in support for Black Lives Matter has seen a range of new individuals and groups acting under the BLM banner. Not all of them share the goals of the wider BLM movement.”

There was further confusion after several rightwing newspapers quoted denials from activists organising under the name Black Lives Matter who were not from the movement’s officially recognised UK affiliate.

The Guardian has also contacted a number of other groups organising under the name to ask if they were behind the registration.

According to the Electoral Commission’s notice of application, as well as using the Black Lives Matter name, various proposed descriptions for the party include: Black Lives Matter/All Lives Matter; Black Lives Matter for the GLA; Black Lives Matter Great Britain; Black Lives Matter (United Kingdom); The Black Lives Matterparty; Black Lives Matter party of Wales; Black Lives Matter party of Scotland.

A spokesperson for the commission said that an application to register a political party could not be made without providing details of a financial scheme to fund it, a constitution setting out its organisation and structure, details of who would fill the roles of party leader, treasurer, nominating officer, and at least two other officials, and a non-refundable £150 application submission fee.

Black Lives Matter first emerged in the US in 2013 as a response to police and vigilante killings of black men and youths. Various groups have been organising in the UK under the slogan since around 2016, but there is only one recognised affiliate of the US movement in the country.

In September, that group officially registered as a community benefit society under the name Black Liberation Movement UK – with the legal status a condition of its receiving £1.2m in donations that had been donated to the cause via a GoFundMe appeal. The name change was partly down to a number of companies having already registered under the various permutations of the slogan.

Last week BLM UK activists said that despite the change of name they would continue to organise under the Black Lives Matter slogan.