John McDonnell says Momentum activists helped drive Labour’s better-than-expected election result

Activists working with the left-wing Momentum group were a key factor behind the party’s better-than-expected result in last week’s local elections, John McDonnell has said.

Jeremy Corbyn’s party had been forecast by academics Rallings and Thrasher to lose 150 seats in Thursday’s English local elections – but ended up holding onto key marginal councils in the south they had been projected to lose.

In an email thanking Momentum activists seen by the Independent, the shadow chancellor said he understood the group had been “particularly active” in south England marginals where Labour performed better than expectations.

Though local branches organise campaigns in their local area, Momentum’s central organisation helped to coordinate activists from areas with high membership and channel them to marginal seats.

Activists from Brighton Momentum, a particularly large group, were sent to Hastings and Crawley – two southern marginal councils Labour was not expected to retain but did.

Groups from across London and its environs were also directed out to Harlow in Essex, where Labour unexpectedly held onto the council.

Activists from across the North West, including Manchester, campaigned in West Lancashire, also a successful result for the party.

A spokesperson for the group told the Independent that it was deliberately targeting areas with Conservatives MPs – not just marginal councils – and that around 12 areas were on its high priority list.

Mr McDonnell said the election results had been an improvement on 2013, 2014, and 2015, and said people working with Momentum should fully join the Labour party.

“On behalf of the Labour Party and its leadership, I would like to express my sincere thanks to each and every Momentum member and supporter who played a part in our tremendous effort to secure Labour wins in the elections last week,” he wrote.

“We held our own or advanced in key marginal councils with Tory MPs, including: Worcester, Redditch, Derby, Ipswich, Norwich, Harlow, Crawley, Southampton and Hastings. Not to mention the four excellent Labour mayors we've elected in London, Bristol, Liverpool and Salford.

“I know that Momentum groups have been particularly active in many of these areas, and indeed elsewhere, so thank you for the remarkable impact you have made.

“What is perhaps most heart-warming of all, is the knowledge that Momentum groups played a key role in mobilising many new and less experienced activists. Jeremy’s leadership inspired many tens of thousands of people to join Labour and get involved in politics for the first time, and now that fresh energy lives on in Momentum.”

Some MPs to the right of the Labour party have previously criticised Momentum. In March this year Ben Bradshaw branded a group of south London Momentum activist “useless timewasters” after they campaigned against what they said was a “Blairite” Labour candidate.

Tom Blenkinsop has previously called for the group to be banned, while Stella Creasy claimed it was more interested in “meetings and moralising” than real campaigning and was “draining” energy from the political process.

Some MPs are worried that the activists could be involved deslecting of MPs who try to undermine the party’s leadership. Momentum has however said it “will not campaign for the deselection of any MP and will not permit any local Momentum groups to do so”.