Emily Thornberry praises Momentum as 'lifeblood' of Labour party

Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has praised Momentum as the “lifeblood” of the party and denied claims that Labour’s Left-wing has declared “open season” on moderate members.

Momentum and its allies have been accused of running a “poisonous and toxic” campaign in Haringey when candidates were picked for next year’s borough elections. Fifteen sitting councillors have been ousted and the future of centrist leader Claire Kober has been thrown into doubt.

But Ms Thornberry said: “In the end we are a democratic party. People that I’ve met from Momentum are largely young, they are enthusiastic, they are hard-working… they are the lifeblood of our party.

“People shouldn’t feel threatened by youngsters becoming enthusiastic.”

Momentum’s rift with Labour’s centre ground intensified after the organisation’s chair Jon Lansman claimed its candidates have been blocked from council shortlists for no reason.

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Thornberry said: “Anyone who is selected to be a candidate, whether it’s a member of Parliament, whether it’s a councillor, they need to be accountable to their local party membership.” Asked during the Westminster Hour programme whether it was “open season” on Labour Party moderates, Ms Thornberry said: “It’s not open season, it’s democracy within the Labour Party.

“They are people attracted to the Labour Party because they want to change our country for the better.”

Jeremy Corbyn-supporting pressure group Momentum is under investigation into whether it broke spending rules during the general election. The Electoral Commission said the inquiry will look at whether Momentum overspent and whether it failed to provide correct donation information.