Q&A
What is Momentum?
It’s a grassroots activist movement which grew out of the 2015 campaign to win Jeremy Corbyn the Labour leadership. It claims to ‘exist to build on the energy and enthusiasm from the Jeremy Corbyn for Labour leader campaign, to increase participatory democracy, solidarity, and grassroots power’ and help Labour become a ‘transformative governing party’. To its critics, it is a hard-Left alliance of students and Trotskyists conducting an ‘entryist’ takeover of the Labour Party.
Who is in charge?
Momentum was founded by Jon Lansman, a former public schoolboy and a fixture of the Bennite wing of Labour. It is run by a steering committee and has an estimated 23,000 members, 200,000 supporters and 150 local groups. It is said to be financed by donations. Anything over £7,500 has to be declared. But nothing of that size has ever been donated.
How does it help Corbyn?
During the 2015 leadership campaign Momentum played a key role in recruiting members. Under a new rule, ‘registered supporters’ could – in return for a £3 membership fee – vote in the election. Hundreds of thousands of people, often the young, helped propel Mr Corbyn to victory. When Owen Smith challenged Mr Corbyn last year Momentum helped recruit activists again.
What were its election tactics?
Momentum ran its own campaign, separate from the Labour Party, supporting sympathetic MPs and providing boots on the ground to deliver leaflets in target seats. It registered as a ‘non-party’ campaign group, meaning it was allowed to spend a total of £39,000 across the UK. But in the run up to polling day it raised £120,000 online. Much of its campaigning efforts – and organisation – take place online on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Tory MPs – and moderate Labour politicians critical of Mr Corbyn – point the finger at Momentum activists for the disturbing rise of vitriolic online trolling. In May, it produced a propaganda video attacking the middle classes. Set in a suburban garden, it featured privileged characters criticising the young for voting Corbyn.
Were they effective?
Momentum targeted and flooded a string of seats with activists – often coordinated by text or the net. It concentrated on Labour/Tory and Labour/Lib Dem marginals. Voters were bombarded with viral videos on social media. In Kensington, West London, its volunteers helped win the seat for Emma Dent Coad. It also helped Labour win in Canterbury, Sheffield Hallam and Derby North.
Momentum hosted volunteers from the US former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders’ campaign. This taught activists how to target undecided voters through ‘persuasion canvassing’. In Leeds North West, so many activists were in the marginal Lib Dem seat they knocked everyone on the electoral register. They overturned a 3,000 majority.
How is it taking over Labour?
Behind the idealism is a cynical hard-Left takeover of party power structures. Momentum now has a majority on Labour’s National Executive Committee, the party’s governing body. Mr Lansman is widely expected to win an NEC seat. Activists are also targeting council seats. In London, a purge of moderates means Momentum may soon control Haringey Council. Mr Lansman wants all council candidate selections to be re-run. Across the country, moderate MPs attacked as ‘Red Tories’ by the Left are fighting off highly organised activists.