On Saturday Momentum’s 52 person National Committee convened for the first time, telling supporters that the purpose of the meeting was to elect a Steering Committee of 14 senior figures who will run the organisation. Yet in leaked emails sent the week before, Momentum chief Jon Lansman boasts that the election will be a “formality” because Steering Committee members had already been “confirmed“. In other words, it was a fix.

From: Jon Lansman
To: xxxx
Sent: Feb 1

Thanks for your email.

I too am looking forward to getting the structure confirmed at the meeting on Saturday. To a large extent, as you note, this will mostly be just a formality as we have already confirmed those who will be setting the direction for Momentum, myself included. These individuals will formally take their roles on the Steering Committee this Saturday.

This email was sent five days before the sham election, at which time Lansman already knew the result.

In another leaked email, Lansman is asked if the trade unions involved in Momentum will have concerns over bumper staff salaries. Lansman warns that the salaries must be kept confidential, writing that Unite political director Jennie Formby is “clueless“:

From: Jon Lansman
To: xxxx
Sent: Feb 1

Jennie is fairly clueless and as long as the proper procedures are followed on Saturday, I do not anticipate any issues.

So Lansman wants to keep Unite in the dark about how much Momentum are paying their top team, mocking Formby as “clueless” about salaries. Would be a shame if Jennie were to find out…

UPDATE: Lansman tells Guido the emails we have, sent from his email address and with his email signature, are “complete fabrications”. Lansman insists he is “good friends” with Formby and says he may have been hacked:

“I am not aware of anyone hacking into my emails but I can assure you I did not send either of those emails. If someone has hacked my email I would certainly like to know. I shall be changing my passwords.”