Victory for Forward Momentum candidates as Lansman steps down

Forward Momentum candidates have swept to victory by winning all member representative seats in Momentum internal elections that mark the exit of co-founder Jon Lansman.

Forward Momentum put forward one of the two main slates in the contest. The group pitched itself as ‘anti-continuity’ with a focus on democratising the organisation, and held open primaries to select candidates.

Momentum Renewal was the rival platform, more closely associated with Lansman. It stressed the importance of “left unity” within Labour and being “rooted in working-class communities”.

FM candidates won all 20 places in the members’ section, which gives them a majority on the NCG. Renewal candidates were elected by MPs and councillors to the four office holder posts.

The new NCG is made up of 50% women, seven BAME members, seven under 30 and five LGBT members. They are drawn from all the regions and nations of the UK, and for the first time one international section member lives in New York.

A Momentum spokesperson said: “This election is the start of a new era for Momentum. Our members have elected a talented, diverse team who will unite our movement and take us forward.

“We will proudly champion radical policies like the Green New Deal 2030 and push the leadership to support the Black Lives Matter movement and lay out a bold plan for after the pandemic.

“Now our elections are over, it’s time to get on with the hard work of building a socialist mass movement together.”

Reacting to the results, Forward Momentum candidate and new Momentum NCG member Gaya Sriskanthan said: “These results could not be clearer: Momentum members in every corner of the country want a fresh start and a new direction.

“This means rebuilding our organisation from the ground up, placing members at the centre and developing a strategy for winning in the Labour Party and campaigning in communities.

“This starts today, and our message to Momentum members, however they voted, is that we can only achieve this with the involvement of everyone.

“Socialism holds the answers to many of the problems we face today, and we must do everything in our collective power to make sure it’s at the heart of everything the Labour Party does.”

Jon Trickett MP, and councillors Emina Ibrahim, Sarah Doyle and Leigh Drennan beat Nadia Whittome MP, mayor Jamie Driscoll, councillors Christine Howard and Barrie Margetts to the ‘public office holder’ seats.

Labour MPs such as Ian Lavery, Paula Barker, Sam Tarry and Charlotte Nichols, plus Tribune‘s Ronan Burtenshaw and Novara Media‘s Aaron Bastani, had all signed up to back the Renewal initiative.

But the candidates selected by FM – said to include key workers, shop stewards and community organisers – were described by the campaign as “representing a break with the current leadership faction”.

Founder and then chair Jon Lansman used a LabourList comment piece in May to announce that he would not be standing in the internal elections of the Corbynite organisation.

Momentum members chose from 57 candidates between ballots opening on June 16th and closing on June 30th. The new NCG will decide who replaces Lansman as chair and who sits on the officers group in the coming days.

Below are the results in full. 

Turnout: 8,580 eligible voters.

London
Sonali Bhattacharyya [ELECTED] 1382
Deborah Hermanns [ELECTED] 1302
Mick Moore [ELECTED] 1156
Ana Oppenheim [ELECTED] 1105
Chardine Taylor Stone 929
Lewis Baker 692
Aghileh Djafari-Marbini 664
Seema Chandwani 664
Urte Macikene 359
Syed Siddiqi 310
Ruth Cashman 245
Marcel Golten 238

Midlands and East
Andrew Scattergood [ELECTED] 1018
Mish Rahman [ELECTED] 952
Solma Ahmed [ELECTED] 918
Abbie Clark [ELECTED] 843
Huda Elmi 651
Laura McAlpine 548
Sonya Ward 408
Dan Roberts 377

North West and Wales
Alan Gibbons [ELECTED] 951
Tracey Hylton [ELECTED] 932
Harriet Protheroe-Soltani [ELECTED] 877
Charlie Bollaan [ELECTED] 853
Lotte Boumelha 779
Jaz Duncan-Rees 721
Matthew Brown 703
Lawrence Dunne 647

South East and South West
Darran McLaughlin [ELECTED] 999
Shona Jemphrey [ELECTED] 968
Jennifer Forbes [ELECTED] 926
Phil Clarke [ELECTED] 901
Jabu Nala-Hartley 665
Sarah Cundy 546
Max Shanly 479
Martin Menear 421
Zaid Marham 187
Jordan Hartley 152

Yorkshire, North East, Scotland and International
Gaya Sriskanthan [ELECTED] 1009
Rory Maclean [ELECTED] 935
Callum Bell [ELECTED] 923
Liz Smith [ELECTED] 886
Aneesa Akbar 565
Matt Kerr 508
Leeann Clarkson 404
Dave Aldwinkle 368
Andy Young 200
Chloe Hopkins 183
Kas Witana 165

Public Office Holders’ section
Jon Trickett [ELECTED] 164
Leigh Drennan [ELECTED] 146
Sarah Doyle [ELECTED] 144
Emine Ibrahim [ELECTED] 140
Nadia Whittome 129
Jamie Driscoll 116
Christine Howard 108
Barrie Margetts 95