Momentum mob take their revenge on Lord Moderate
A LABOUR politician who has fought hard-Left infiltrators for a quarter of a century has fallen victim to a ‘revenge’ mission by Jeremy Corbyn’s Momentum activists, it was claimed last night.
Lord Kennedy has been forced to quit as a councillor after a campaign by the Left-wing Momentum group to deselect him in its battle to seize control of Labour town halls.
His removal comes 25 years after the then plain Roy Kennedy ousted Labour rebel turned Militant Tendency MP Dave Nellist from the Commons.
As a Labour organiser, Kennedy plotted the defeat in the 1992 Election of Mr Nellist, who had been kicked out of the party by former leader Neil Kinnock and stood under Militant colours.
Kennedy’s purge of the hard-Left earned him rapid promotion at Labour HQ from Tony Blair – with Gordon Brown giving him a peerage in 2010.
But Momentum, seen by some as a new version of Militant Tendency, has turned the tables on Lord Kennedy, 55, by forcing him to stand down as a council l or i n Lewisham, South London.
A Labour source told The Mail on Sunday that some Momentum activists see Kennedy’s forced resignation as ‘revenge’ for his role in the downfall of Mr Nellist, who is now a prominent cheerleader for Mr Corbyn. ‘They are well aware of Roy’s record in fighting the hard-Left and wanted him out,’ said the source.
Lord Kennedy’s decision to stand down came after hundreds of Momentum supporters joined his local party and insisted he went through a new selection process before council elections in May.
A Labour insider said: ‘Momentum has taken over the local party in recent months and made it clear they want Roy out and one of their people in. There is nothing he can do about it. He is appalled by their behaviour. They shout and abuse people and are more concerned about what happens in Palestine than Lewisham. It is a disgrace. Roy is a born-and-bred South Londoner and has dedicated himself to the local community for over 30 years.’
Mr Nellist, the former Coventry South East MP, was expelled by Labour in 1991 over his Militant Tendency activities. Trotskyist Mr Nellist, 65, urged voters to back Mr Corbyn in the June Election, saying: ‘I support his anti-austerity policies… and his call for four more bank holidays. I want him elected as PM.’ Some Labour MPs have called for Momentum to be banned from Labour on the same grounds used to get rid of Militant Tendency – for operating as a ‘ party within a party’. Momentum supporters dispute this, saying that they are 100 per cent loyal to party leader Mr Corbyn.
In its attempt to take control of the party, Momentum is campaigning to deselect moderate Labour MPs and take over some of the party’s town halls in London including Haringey and Lewisham. It has faced claims of dirty tricks, including social media abuse.
Lord Kennedy’s resignation could heighten tensions between Mr Corbyn and deputy Tom Watson, of whom Lord Kennedy is a close ally. His wife Baroness Kennedy ran Mr Watson’s 2015 campaign to become the Labour leader’s lieutenant.
However, Lord Kennedy could have the last word in his battle with the Corbynistas. He is a front runner for the vacant post of Labour Chief Whip in the Lords.
Unlike in the Commons, Mr Corbyn has no say over Labour appointments in the Lords.
‘They worry more about Palestine than Lewisham’