September 2020
Momentum launches its first open primary, giving youth members the chance to decide who it endorses in the Young Labour elections. ‘For a Socialist Future’ stands on a pledge to ‘talk straight to the leadership’ and to push the Party to adopt a radical policy platform.
August 2020
Momentum launches a national campaign with tenants’ unions Acorn and the London Renters’ Union to fight back against mass evictions after the Tory government scraps the eviction ban. Hundreds of thousands of working class fall into rent arrears over the course of the pandemic and are at risk of eviction.
Actions groups are set up across the country to block bailiffs. My Campaign Map is repurposed so members can find where their nearest action group is.
July 2020
A slate is decided by the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance with Momentum’s input for the Labour NEC elections. ‘Grassroots Voice – The Future We Need’ runs on a platform of a Green New Deal, vocal support for Black Lives Matter and a post-pandemic economy for the many. NCG member Mish Rahman is one of the six CLP rep candidates .
Momentum launches the ‘Future We Need’ campaign with an energetic social media campaign, numerous virtual rallies and the building of digital tools to inform members of the timings of their CLP meetings and how they should order their preferences. The slate comfortably wins CLP nominations.
June 2020
Momentum members elect a new National Coordinating Group (NCG). 20 of the 24 candidates elected were from the Forward Momentum campaign, which ran on the slogan ‘trust the members, build the movement’.
Candidates include teachers, firefighters, former parliamentary candidates, a trainee paramedic and a sitting MP. The new NCG is made up of 50% women, including seven BAME members, seven under the age of 30 and five LGBT members. NCG members are drawn from all the regions and nations of the UK, and for the first time Momentum has an NCG member elected from its international section who lives in New York.
June 2020
Momentum’s Regional Organisers launch the Future Councillors Programme, with attendance at well over 100 Momentum activists from all corners of Britain.
With input from experienced left-wing councillors and facilitated by Momentum staff, the programme gives in-depth advice on what it means to be a socialist councillor; as well as providing coaching through the council selection process and support in running a good campaign.
January 2020
Momentum members vote to back Rebecca Long-Bailey for Labour leader, with 70.42% of respondents supporting the NCG proposal.
Momentum launch a huge campaign and mobilise thousands of supporters to elect Rebecca Long-Bailey as next leader of the Labour Party. Hundreds of phone banks and policy labs are hosted across the country, with peer to peer calling apps used to enable supporters to make hundreds of thousands of calls to Labour members in support of Long-Bailey over the course of the campaign.
October 2019
Momentum mobilises tens of thousands of people to knock on doors in marginal constituencies and talk to millions of voters across the country. Momentum’s campaign efforts consist of:
September 2019
Hundreds of thousands of people attend nationwide protests co-organised by Momentum against Johnson’s shutting down of parliament.
The protests took place in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Dundee, Doncaster, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Leamington Spa, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton, Swindon, Wolverhampton, and York – and are backed by a coalition of groups including the Youth Climate Strikers and Another Europe is Possible.
September 2019
All three of Momentum’s flagship proposals were adopted by the Labour Party, giving the organisation a 100% success rate on conference floor in 2019. Over the summer Momentum campaigned for a socialist Green New Deal including a 2030 decarbonisation target, abolishing all detention centres and a shorter working week. At Labour conference, the party adopted all three policies, with the Green New Deal and ending detention centres passing overwhelmingly on the floor and a shorter working week being announced by the shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
Momentum worked closely with member-led campaign groups Labour for a Green New Deal, Labour Against Racism and Fascism and Labour for a Four Day Week as well as the FBU, TSSA, CWU and Bakers Union. This was the first conference in decades where activists and trade unions used conference to develop policy and win significant victories on the conference floor.
Momentum launch a huge voter registration campaign aimed at signing up tens of thousands of students in key marginal seats across the country ahead of an anticipated general election.
The campaign included the launch of a website giving students guidance on whether registering to vote at their home address or their university address is more tactical for swinging marginal seats; alongside launching a Facebook advertisement campaign targeted at young people in key marginals and holding stalls and events at university freshers fairs.
July 2019
Momentum supports Fck Boris demonstration on day Boris Johnson comes into office, in conjunction with the Women’s Strike Assembly, Sisters Uncut, Black Lives Matter UK, Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants, the UK Youth Climate Strikers and the Fire Brigades Union.
A noisy and vibrant demo of 10,000 people marched through the centre of London and on to Downing Street, in protest at Johnson being elected as leader of the Tory party – and thus by default prime minister – by a majority of the party’s elderly, white and wealthy electorate.
May 2019
Alongside Momentum’s 170 local groups who ran campaign events across the country, Momentum
Momentum mobilise members to creatively disrupt Barclays branches across the world.
Inspired by the youth climate strikers, the next round of Momentum’s ‘Bankrupt Climate Change’ saw thousands of Momentum members join pickets and occupations at more than 60 Barclays branches across the world, with actions already planned in Germany and the USA as well as across the UK.
Activists creatively disrupted the running of local Barclays branches by turning them into children’s play areas and pop up discos.
April 2019
Momentum joins forces with the Youth Climate Strikers and Extinction Rebellion in a mass rally outside parliament as MPs back a Labour motion declaring a climate emergency.
This was the first time the three organisations had collaborated, and came amid heightened climate activism with school students striking in 50 countries, Extinction Rebellion mobilising thousands in London and Momentum targeting banks who fund fossil fuel companies.
March 2019
Momentum launch a nationwide campaign to pressure Barclays bank into dropping its investments in the fossil fuel industry.
Working in collaboration with the campaign group People & Planet, Momentum’s ‘Bankrupt Climate Change’ campaign encouraged Momentum members to stage creative direct actions at Barclays branches in towns and cities across the UK.
The campaign followed Labour’s push for a ‘Green Industrial Revolution’ in Britain to address climate change and create hundreds of thousands of green jobs, as well as the increasing popularity of the ‘Green New Deal’ spearheaded by Alexadria Ocasio-Cortez in the US.
February 2019
Momentum hold mass canvassing events in the constituencies of splinter group MPs (later of Change UK) to build support for Labour in the event of a by-election and inform constituents that their MP has left Labour and joined a coalition with former Tory MPs instead.
Events involved an afternoon of canvassing followed by a social and were held in Streatham, Stockport and Penistone and Stocksbridge – the constituencies of Chuka Umunna, Anne Coffey and Angela Smith.
Momentum host an ‘international healthcare solidarity phonebank’ in collaboration with the US nurses union National Nurses United.
Momentum activists and NHS workers call US residents to discuss how UK residents benefit from a free, comprehensive public healthcare system, as a means of promoting the Medicare for All campaign in the US.
Momentum launch a campaign to train and platform young BAME Labour Party members to improve the representation of people of colour in both the party and wider society.
The campaign kicks off a period of twelve months which will see Momentum work with partners including Operation Black Vote, NUS Black Students’ Campaign and The Media Fund to provide training and support for 250 BAME people under the age of 30 to become leaders in their local community and stand for elected positions in Momentum, the Labour Party, trade unions, local councils and parliament.
The training includes press and spokesperson training, specialised support for current and prospective councillors, campaign-building training, mentoring and more.
December 2018
Thousands joined a Momentum demonstration to oppose far-right activist Tommy Robinson in London.
The march was led by women and migrants standing in opposition to the far right’s attempt to use the issues of sexual violence and child abuse to justify Islamophobia and racism. The counter-demonstration came just two weeks after Robinson was appointed an advisor to UKIP on ‘grooming gangs and prison’, and less than a week from when he was threatened with legal action over a Facebook video spreading misinformation about a refugee child in Huddersfield.
November 2018
Momentum launch campaign to encourage all Labour MPs to vote down May’s Brexit deal and push for a general election.
Aimed at mobilising Labour members across the country, the campaign included votedownthedeal.co.uk which helps Labour members contact their MP and encourage them to vote down the deal, a series of viral videos criticising May’s deal, a petition calling on Labour MPs to vote down the deal and a fundraising drive.
The campaign followed a Momentum consultation which revealed that 92% of members surveyed want Labour MPs to vote down Theresa May’s Brexit deal if it fails Labour’s six tests.
October 2018
Momentum mobilises its members to march against the far-right group ‘Democratic Football Lads Alliance’ (DFLA) in London.
Momentum members from across London joined forced with trade unions, community leaders and other progressive organisations at the counter demonstration in Westminster.
The mobilisation followed a viral video launched by Momentum opposing the far-right that has been viewed nearly three million times on social media.
October 2018
Momentum mobilises its members to join a demonstration outside of the court of a vital Uber trade union ruling. Uber was in court to try and reverse a ruling that forced the company to treat its employees as workers rather than independent contractors. The ruling gave Uber drivers basic rights such as the minimum wage, paid holiday and rest breaks.
The demonstration brought together Momentum members, Deliveroo couriers, Uber drivers and university cleaners threatened by outsourcing with more than 1,000 precarious workers expected to attend.
The original ruling was upheld and Uber has now taken the case to the Supreme Court.
Momentum mobilises local members to picket McDonald’s stores as part of a nationwide fast food strike.
Momentum members organise pickets and creative direct actions outside McDonald’s outlets in cities across the country, including in Chester, Sheffield, Newcastle and London, in support of workers calling for £10 an hour, an end to precarious contracts and for their right to join a union.
The ‘Fast Food Shut Down’, organised by the BFAWU and Unite the Union, saw McDonald’s workers walking out in coordination with Wetherspoons and TGI Fridays workers while Uber Eats and Deliveroo couriers also went on strike. The action was the first multi-workforce, national-scale hospitality industry strike in a generation, with many workers striking for the first time.
September 2018
Over 13,000 people attend the conference in Liverpool, with a sharp rise in the number of voting delegates to previous years – the total number up 50% since Labour was last in Liverpool in 2016.
Momentum’s conference app for Labour Party Conference and The World Transformed, developed and built in house by Momentum’s volunteer tech network, was downloaded over 4,000 times during the festival – including by more than 1,000 people who said they were registered as conference delegates.
The World Transformed, the fringe festival that grew out of Momentum in 2016, also drew larger crowds than ever before, with over 6,000 people attending more than 250 hours of sessions, featuring over 350 speakers from more than 25 countries.
Momentum launches a campaign to lobby Labour’s NEC to back proposals that would get rid of the MP veto over leadership candidates and open up parliamentary selections.
A Momentum petition in support of the proposals reaches 50,000 signatures. In addition, videos promoting the campaign gain hundreds of thousands of views and thousands of Labour members email their NEC representatives as a result.
August 2018
Momentum launches a local press offensive in battleground seats across the country in an effort to win key marginals at an anticipated general election and amplify the community campaigns run by local Labour members.
Developed with The Media Fund, the campaign-focused training programme coached Labour members in building relationships with local journalists, promoting community campaigns powered by Labour members and gave lessons on how local media can be used to hold politicians to account.
July 2018
Momentum holds its first Scottish training event, after appointing its first organiser in the country.
The first training session was held in the constituency of Glasgow South West, which the SNP held from Labour by a majority of 60 votes in June 2017. Local Momentum activists are taught ‘persuasive conversation’ strategies inspired by the Bernie Sanders campaign, with further training and recruitment set to be rolled out across the country.
February 2018
Momentum launches its own new councillor network, providing training and support to Corbyn-supporting council candidates in key target constituencies and promoting collaboration between left-wing councils such as Salford and Preston.
The training days equipped candidates with community-based campaigning and organising skills, and established a network where Corbyn-supporting councillors are able to share experience, skills and creative policy ideas that have worked in their local areas.
December 2017
Momentum partners with the CWU to campaign for the protection of vital Post Office services.
A mock Christmas video is launched which highlights the deteriorating service provided by the privatised Royal Mail. This gains over half a million views across Facebook and Twitter.
September 2017
Momentum works alongside the Bakers Union to support the McDonald’s workers’ industrial action, launching a video interviewing some of the striking workers. The video is seen by over 2 million people, including a quarter of all McDonald’s workers in the UK.
The video provokes nationwide coverage for the strike, raising awareness amongst both McDonald’s workers and workers in the wider leisure/hospitality industry, and leads to the biggest wage rise in a decade for McDonalds employees at company-owned restaurants.
September 2017
The second ‘The World Transformed’ festival takes place, bringing together politics, culture, art and community. Spanning nine venues across Brighton, the festival sees over 5,000 people attend 250 hours of talks, workshops, art exhibitions and parties.
At the Labour Party Conference itself, thousands of members aiming to make the party more democratic vote for the Labour Party Democracy Review, giving every Labour member the chance to share their views about how the party can become more inclusive, open and democratic.
August 2017
Momentum launches a national training network tasked with training Labour Party members in over 100 marginal constituencies over the next year.
The network offers workshops in persuasive canvassing techniques, making viral videos, generating local press coverage, understanding the Labour Party and organising in local communities.
July 2017
In partnership with Owen Jones, Momentum launches the ‘Unseat’ campaign, mobilising members to campaign in seats where Conservative MPs have small majorities. Each event involves activist training, day-long canvassing followed by drinks.
Thousands attend Unseat events in seats held by Education Secretary Justine Greening, former DWP Secretary of State Iain Duncan Smith, and former Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
June 2017
Momentum launches its General Election campaign, drawing on an mix of innovative online and offline tactics:
Of the 30 constituencies Momentum targets, all but five are won.
March 2017
John McDonnell, Diane Abbott, Rachael Maskell and Clive Lewis join The World Transformed for a nationwide, post-Brexit ‘Take Back Control’ tour.
Events take place in leave-voting constituencies across the country, such as Bradford, Plymouth and Sunderland, bringing together those who voted Leave and Remain to discuss their priorities for Brexit.
March 2017
Our inaugural members conference takes place in Birmingham, Building to Win.
This brings together 600 activists for a day of discussions, activist training and skill shares from across the grassroots.
February 2017
By-elections in Stoke-on-Trent Central and Copeland are called. Thousands of Momentum members mobilise to campaign for both elections, and a carpooling web app is launched to help members share journeys to campaign days. Ken Loach joins the campaign in both seats.
The Labour Party candidate Gareth Snell wins the Stoke-on-Trent seat.
January 2017
Newcastle-based Momentum activists, who set up ‘Talk Socialism’, run a ‘Train the Trainer’ workshop in York, empowering other members to lead participatory political education events.
Meanwhile dozens of Momentum groups host community screenings of Ken Loach’s award-winning ‘I, Daniel Blake’ film and hold collections for food banks across the UK.
October 2016
Momentum supports the Ritzy Living Wage campaign, building awareness of the cinema workers’ industrial action through social media and online videos.
The movement spreads to several other Picturehouse cinemas in London and Brighton, and local communities boycott the cinemas and join picket lines in solidarity with the workers.
September 2016
Momentum presents The World Transformed (TWT), a four-day fringe festival taking place alongside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.
Foregrounding art, music and culture in unison with political discussions, there are 250 hours worth of sessions and over 5,000 people attend.
July 2016
Momentum forms the backbone of the campaign to re-elect Jeremy Corbyn as Leader of the Labour Party. Borrowing ‘big organising’ techniques from the Bernie Sanders campaign, hundreds of activists host ‘Campaign Call Outs’, pop up phone-banks in their homes inspired by ‘Bernie’s ‘Barnstorms’.
These local meetups result in over 100,000 calls made, using the ‘Call for Corbyn’ phone-canvassing app. Thanks to this nationwide effort, Jeremy Corbyn is re-elected with an increased mandate.
June 2016
In response to the resignation of Labour MPs and an attempt to force out the elected Leader of the Labour Party, Momentum calls a ‘Keep Corbyn. Build our Movement’ event.
With just 24 hours notice, over 10,000 people join a rally in Parliament Square, London.
May 2016
Momentum campaigns to remain in the EU, alongside Labour In and Another Europe Is Possible.
The ‘#YourReferendum’ website is launched – an open source, online platform for campaigning and organising tools to take the debate out of Westminster and into our communities.
April 2016
Tens of thousands of activists canvass for Labour in the local elections, including the four mayoral elections, as part of Momentum’s ‘#Momentum4Labour’ campaign.
Members take creative action to spice up the campaign to elect Sadiq Khan as Mayor of London, including a ‘Where’s Zack’s Tax?’ stunt. Labour are successful in all 4 mayoral elections.
March 2016
Following its launch in January, Momentum activists in east London hold their second ‘People’s PPE’ event with economists Ann Pettifor and Yanis Varoufakis – bringing radical economics and political discussion into the heart of the community.
January 2016
In response to communities being caught in the grips of austerity, some local Momentum groups start to collect and volunteer for food banks.
This is a fantastic collection by local group Barnsley Momentum to help people in their local area.
December 2015
Momentum members join peace campaigners in a call to oppose the Conservative government’s proposal to bomb Syria. Over 30,000 Labour members lobby their Labour MPs via social media.
The campaign culminated in thousands of people attending demonstrations across the UK.
November 2015
Enthusiastic activists travel from across the country on coaches organised by Momentum to campaign for the Labour candidate Jim McMahon in the Oldham West and Royton by-election, the first election since Jeremy Corbyn became leader.
Labour wins with an increased share of the vote.
October 2015
In the weeks immediately following Jeremy Corbyn’s election as Labour Leader, Momentum launch its first national campaign – ‘Democracy SOS’ – a mass voter registration drive in partnership with the TSSA union.
40 events take place on one day alone, and 150,000 conversations take place through street stalls across the country, informing people that those not on the electoral register before the 2015 deadline will be left out of the electoral boundary review.
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