Momentum group set up by volunteer activists is designed as grassroots network to create mass movement for progressive change

Volunteer activists in Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaign are to try to harness the campaign’s energy by setting up a new social movement to back his ideas and politics.

The campaign entitled Momentum launched on Thursday and has the approval of the Labour leader as well as John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor and campaign manager for Corbyn.

The group, being set up four weeks after Corbyn won the leadership, is designed as a grassroots network to create “a mass movement for change, for real progressive change in every town and city”.

Momentum is describing itself as the successor to the Jeremy Corbyn for Labour Leader campaign, but it is independent of the Labour party’s leadership. It will work both inside the Labour party and organise in broader civil society.

While all of the individuals setting up Momentum are members or supporters of the Labour party, the group anticipates many thousands of people who are not Labour members or supporters will be involved in the wider social movement through their communities and workplaces.

The group will also seek to “transform the Labour party into a more democratic party with the policies and collective will to make that change. The individuals and groups will also campaign on issues that matter to Momentum, including by holding rallies and the encouragement of mass mobilisation”.

Labour has seen tens of thousands of people join the party and there is a concern that the energy generated by Corbyn’s victory could be dissipated by the more bureaucratic structures of local constituency parties.

Critics claim the campaign is unnecessary, duplicates groups such as the People’s Assembly, or is likely to generate factionalism in the Labour party and effectively become a party within the party.

But a spokesman for Momentum said: “The idea is to develop the promise of new politics made by Jeremy in his campaign by linking up to people outside the Labour party as well as inside. We are associated with the Labour party, and incredibly supportive of it, but not under its control”.

Formally the new campaign is a successor company to the Corbyn campaign, and many new MPs associated with the leadership drive, such as Clive Lewis, Richard Burgon and Kate Osamor, will act as directors before a proper democratic structure is established.

But Momentum says its campaign is designed to “assist members in making their voice heard in Labour party debates”, as well as support existing organisations that can make real improvements to people’s lives rather than wait for four years for a Corbyn-led government.

One idea being considered is private sector tenancy advice but also to build networks interested in specific issues such as mental health or education.

Welcoming the launch of Momentum, Corbyn said: “Now, more than ever, we need to unite and continue to build our movement to change our politics and to win together in 2020. We need us to put our values, the people’s values, back into politics. To do this, we need to keep up the momentum we have built over the last four months.”

McDonnell said: “We need the campaign’s momentum to continue to transform our democracy and our way of doing politics. We are part of this wider social movement, running an economy in the interests of society.”

It has been claimed that 16,000 people campaigned for Corbyn across the country, more than 200,000 party members and registered supporters voted for him, and 62,000 joined Labour since the election.

Arguably there are a lot of left groups already supporting Corbyn’s politics in the Labour party, including Red Labour, the Labour Representation Committee, the Briefing and People’s Assembly. Momentum argues many of these groups are more exclusively focused on internal Labour issues.