Labour party factions

Momentum

• what it is

• policies

• relationship with leadership

A left-wing faction that formed to support Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Focuses on socialist policies, like nationalisation, stronger trade unions, and addressing inequality.

Policies:

Nationalisation: Bringing industries like rail, energy, and water under public ownership to ensure affordable services and prevent profiteering by private companies.

Green New Deal: Implementing policies to combat climate change by investing in renewable energy, green infrastructure, and creating sustainable jobs, while ensuring that the transition is fair for workers in high-carbon industries.

£15 Minimum Wage: Raising the minimum wage to £15 per hour to lift workers out of poverty and reduce income inequality.

Highly critical of the UK government supplying arms to Israel and have called for Starmer to take a much stronger stand on this issue.

Relationship with leadership:

Strongly critical of Starmer, who they see as having moved the party too far to the right. Starmer has in turn removed the whip from some Momentum-backed MPs who voted against him on the Gaza ceasefire bill, such as Apsana Begum

Progressive Britain (formerly Progress)

• what it is

• policies

• relationship with leadership

Advocates for a centrist approach while supporting progressive policies.

Policies:

Economic Growth and Stability: Progress advocates for policies that support economic growth, including a mix of public investment and private enterprise. It is less focused on radical economic changes like nationalisation and more on maintaining a strong, stable economy.

Welfare Reform: While supporting a robust welfare state, Progress has historically backed reforms aimed at making welfare more sustainable and encouraging employment. This includes policies that incentivize work while providing support for the most vulnerable.

Social Mobility: The faction emphasises policies that help individuals climb the social ladder, such as improving access to higher education, apprenticeships, and better job opportunities.

Balanced Foreign Policy: Progress typically supports international engagement and alliances, such as the UK’s participation in NATO and maintaining strong relationships with the EU and the US. It is generally more interventionist in foreign policy compared to the more pacifist left

Relationship with leadership:

Close to Starmer. Chaired by Alison McGovern, a current minister, demonstrating Starmer’s support for the group

Socialist Campaign Group

• what it is

• policies

• relationship with leadership

Left wing faction that advocates for a range of policies focused on social justice, economic equality, and workers' rights.

Policies:

- Similar to Momentum:

Housing: Push for affordable and social housing to combat homelessness and ensure safe accommodation for all.

Environmental Justice: Advocate for strong climate action, including a Green New Deal to create jobs in renewable energy.

Peace and Anti-Imperialism: Commit to a foreign policy that prioritises human rights, opposing military interventions.

Blue Labour

Blue Labour is the Labour Party pressure group that aims to put relationships and responsibility at the heart of British politics. Traditional Labour voters can be won back to the party through this basic idea. It means some see us as socially conservative.

• a new deal for welfare that prioritises personal responsibility

• levels of immigration that take into account the impact on communities

• support for conserving local institutions that bring meaning to people’s lives, from our post offices and pubs to our local hospitals.

In other words, Blue Labour understands that the only true resistance to aggressive finance capital is rooted in real people and their meaningful relationships with each other.

So you’re not Blairites?

We’re definitely not Blairites. Critical of the New Labour narrative of ‘progress’ that has left many communities behind. Blue Labour understands that many traditions help to keep people and communities secure, and provide stability in a fast-changing world. New Labour took an uncritical view of globalisation that fetishised change for its own sake and, whilst it achieved much in office, a new political climate calls for new ideas and a new direction.