Grassroots campaign group wants party to champion green new deal and four-day working week

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Momentum, the grassroots group set up to support Jeremy Corbyn, is directing its campaigning muscle into urging Labour to adopt a series of “radical and transformational” pledges in its next manifesto, including a green new deal and the four-day week.

With Westminster politicians deadlocked over Brexit, which has divided Labour activists, Momentum wants to use its 40,000-strong membership to influence the direction of policy on other issues.

It also hopes to act as a bulwark against the influence of MPs from the social democratic wing of the Labour party.

Becky Boumelha, a Momentum spokesperson, said: “Radical and transformational policy can’t only come from the halls of Westminster. It must come from and draw upon the collective wisdom of Labour’s half a million members, who live and work in every community across the country.

“This is especially true when Tom Watson’s new group of MPs are intent upon watering down and blocking Labour’s most transformational policies.”

Watson set up the Future Britain group after a string of Labour MPs broke away from the party and joined with ex-Conservatives to form Change UK.

At the time, Labour’s deputy leader said he was responding to “the need for those from the social democratic and democratic socialist traditions to give ourselves the strongest voice we can”.

Boumelha said: “Momentum defended Corbyn when his leadership was under threat. Now Momentum will defend and extend the most transformational parts of Labour’s programme, supporting members to pass policy at conference and build on Labour’s 2017 manifesto.”

The campaign group would like to see Labour be more radical on climate change, adopting a “green new deal”, which would include massive investment in funding renewable technologies and energy-saving measures, and an ambitious commitment to reach zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Current Labour policy is that Britain should hit net zero “before” 2050 – the government’s target date, which looks highly likely to be missed on the current trajectory.

Toby Barnes, of Labour for a Green New Deal, said: “Our campaign provides an opportunity for Labour members to lead a radical reconstruction of our country from the ground up. With Momentum putting its weight behind these motions, a transformative policy agenda is in sight. It’s now down to Labour party members to make it a reality at conference this year.”

Labour’s Brexit policy over the past six months has been heavily influenced by the wording of the party’s conference motion on the issue, which came about after intensive campaigning, and saw hundreds of motions submitted by constituency parties.

Momentum hopes to use the same approach on other issues. As well as climate action, it will call for all migrant detention centres to be abolished; and for Labour to adopt a policy of implementing a four-day week.

With a general election widely expected to take place some time in the next twelve months, after Theresa May gives away to another Tory leader, Labour is already thinking about its next manifesto.

Many in the party, including shadow chancellor John McDonnell, would like it to be more radical than in 2017. He has flirted with a universal basic income, recently promising to carry out a pilot; and called for the return of sectoral collective bargaining, with unions negotiating pay rates across entire industrial sectors.

The manifesto would be likely to be drafted by Corbyn’s policy chief Andrew Fisher – but as in 2017, would then have to pass through a so-called “clause V” process, which involves consultation with the unions and shadow cabinet members, as well as the ruling national executive committee (NEC).

Momentum has several members on the NEC who stood for election on a leftwing slate, including its founder, Jon Lansman.

Once policies are agreed at Labour’s party conference, the assumption is generally that they would form part of the next manifesto.

Momentum has declined to take a formal position in the Brexit debate, though its national organiser, Laura Parker, is a vocal remainer, who is now standing as a Labour MEP, and addressed the Put it to the People march.

A Labour party spokesperson said: “We are proud that our mass social movement for the many, not the few determines policy democratically at our annual conference.”