Momentum back motions on abolishing private schools, building more than 3 million social homes and linking rents to local incomes ahead of conference.
- This follows Momentum backing a Green New Deal including a 2030 zero carbon target, a four day working week and the abolition of detention centres.
- Labour conference will see members write the next manifesto on the eve of a snap general election.
Momentum have announced they will back another wave of “radical and transformational” policy motions on the eve of Labour conference with the campaign group pushing an ambitious policy agenda on climate, housing, work, schools and immigration.
This includes a motion to abolish private schools. Tabled by the Abolish Eton campaign and backed by Laura Pidcock, Clive Lewis and Ed Milliband, the motion advocates for the integration of private schools into the state sector, that universities only admit the same proportion of private school students as in the wider population (currently 7%) while they still exist as well as nationalising historic endowments of the larger public schools to be redistributed across the state sector.
Momentum has also thrown its weight behind proposals to build more than 3 million social homes over the next two decades as well as capping private rents nationally at 1/3 of average local incomes.
This follows Momentum’s backing for a Green New Deal which would see Britain go zero carbon by 2030, a four day working week with no loss in pay and the abolition of all detention centres. The Momentum backed motions have proven popular with Labour members, with all being submitted to conference and the Green New Deal motion – put forward by Labour for a Green New Deal – being the most popular motion this year with nearly 130 submissions.
A spokesperson for Labour Against Private Schools said: “It is fantastic to have Momentum backing for our motion at conference. We need to go beyond ending the charitable status and commit to fully integrating private schools. That’s what our motion does and that’s what we need the next Labour government to do. We’ve had 150 years of privilege and power in private schools – it’s time for that to end.”
A Momentum spokesperson said: “Labour’s manifesto in 2017 was groundbreaking, and showed there is widespread support for common sense socialism. But this conference is our chance to go much further, win support for a series of radical and transformation policies and help Labour members write the next manifesto.
We can take on the privilege of a tiny elite by abolishing private schools. We can tackle the climate crisis and crack down on the oil and gas barons with a radical Green New Deal. We can make sure workers are paid well for working less with a four day week. We can end the cruel and unjust practise of jailing migrants by abolishing detention centres. We can stop dodgy landlords charging rip off rents by linking rents to local incomes.
This is a manifesto for the future. These are the solutions to the problems people face. They are the policies we need to fundamentally reshape our society, irreversibly shifting wealth and power towards the the majority of people and laying the groundwork for a society that works in the interests of the many, not the few.”
