Momentum, the pro-Jeremy Corbyn group that is supporting his campaign for re-election as Labour leader, has been infiltrated by a Mail on Sunday reporter who worked undercover within the organisation for five weeks.
According to the newspaper, the reporter found evidence that the group's popular T-shirts were manufactured by low-wage workers in Bangladesh.
The reporter also claimed to have recorded a Momentum volunteer talking about "low-key bullying" of Angela Eagle and suggested the group had ties to an organisation accused of anti-Semitism.
Momentum disputes the claims and insists the Mail on Sunday reporter "exploited" its "enthusiastic and young activists" while working at the organisation undercover.
According to documents provided to BuzzFeed News by Momentum prior to the article's publication in the Mail on Sunday, a series of other allegations were made that did not ultimately appear in the newspaper following receipt of the organisation's response.
Mail on Sunday front page: How low can he go? #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers
The newspaper alleges that conditions in the factory of the Bangladeshi company that manufactures the Corbyn Momentum T-shirts are "appalling", with staff paid 31p an hour and forced to work without toilet breaks.
The paper, which also alleges the factory has used child labour, points out the Corbyn made a speech in parliament in 2014 decrying "abominable working conditions" in Bangladeshi clothing factories.
The Mail on Sunday claims in an email to Momentum that its reporter had separate conversations – one of them taped – with two Momentum volunteers about exploring cooperation with a group called the Muslim Public Affairs Committee, which has been accused of anti-Semitism.
Other allegations put to Momentum by the newspaper include suggestions that one of the group's activists attempted to go undercover at Tory HQ to undermine Zac Goldsmith's mayoral campaign, that Momentum used left-wing news organisations such as Novara Media to distribute campaign material, and that Momentum founder Jon Lansman gave a speech calling the party's Blairite faction "an elected dictatorship".
In the exchange about "low-key bullying" of Eagle, which the paper said was recorded, the Momentum volunteer is alleged to have said the aim was to get the former shadow business secretary – who triggered the leadership contest against Corbyn – to pull out of the race. The volunteer, according to the paper, said this would involve highlighting her Commons voting record.
In another quote, noted by the undercover reporter and included in the newspaper's letter to the organisation, a different Momentum activist allegedly said: "Shall we send a letter to Angela Eagle saying: 'I'm the mujaCorbyn, making the scene, boom boom, know what I mean.'"
Momentum has issued a lengthy rebuttal to the newspaper's allegations, claiming the reporter had "acted in a way that appears to proximate entrapment".
A spokesperson for the group said the reporter had originally been welcomed into the organisation: "As with other ‘genuine’ volunteers, he was warmly welcomed, given a variety of volunteer tasks to complete and offered friendship and kindness."
On the allegations of sweatshop labour in the T-shirt factory, Momentum said: "If the allegations of the Mail on Sunday are true, Momentum and one of its suppliers appear to have been misled by a third party supplier in relation to its labour practices. The order placed with this company has been cancelled and a new supplier sought with full ethical standards."
Momentum statement:
Momentum insisted the newspaper's claims it had connections to the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC) were false. "Momentum has no relationship with MPAC," the group said.
The group said too that the paper was wrong to claim a leading activist had suggested making a video involving Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe that would have exceeded campaign spending limits – something it said it always sticks rigidly to.
Momentum also strongly argued with suggestions that one of its activists had advocated bullying Eagle. The group said that the activist was commenting on the fact that anyone who dared to discuss Angela Eagle’s voting "would be ridiculously and unfairly cast as 'low key bullying' by Corbyn’s opponents", and that this prompted the original comment.
A spokesperson said: "Any bullying that is alleged will be investigated immediately and any individual that is proven to have indulged in unacceptable behaviour will be dealt with through Momentum's code of conduct and if necessary stopped from any further participation in the organisation."
Another allegation the paper put to Momentum was that its reporter heard an activist refer to Corbyn as "Jezbollah". The group said this had been a flippant reference.
"Max Shanly jokingly said Jezbollah," the Momentum spokesperson argued in their response to the newspaper. "It is a reference to the laughable depiction of Corbyn by the Guido Fawkes blog, which occasionally refers to Corbyn as 'Jezbollah'."
They also said that when the newspaper suggested a supporter was quoted talking about the 'mujaCorbyn' they had "ironically adapted a quote from the comedy film Four Lions".
The Mail on Sunday had asked why the group "uses a number of 'front organisations' to disseminate its materials so that the material cannot be tracked back to Momentum".
The newspaper questioned why Novara Media's "Aaron Bastani and Michael Walker, regularly visit and work inside Momentum offices".
In response, Momentum said: "Novara Media is an independent media outlet. It existed before Momentum was launched. Aaron Bastani, the co-founder, negotiated access to Momentum to cover developments in the Labour party."
The newspaper asked why an activist "admitted going into Tory party HQ as a 'mole' to gain information on when Zac Goldsmith would enter the building, so that Momentum activists could 'ambush' him".
In response, Momentum said: "Momentum engaged in one successful media stunt during the London mayoral election to highlight questions around Zac Goldsmith’s tax affairs. Momentum attempted a second stunt on the eve of polling. It was unsuccessful. Sadiq Khan’s campaign team had no knowledge of the plans."
The Momentum spokesman added: "The Mail on Sunday’s hypocrisy is striking. The paper used a mole, when also accusing Momentum of using a mole to find out about Tory party activities. It's clearly one rule for the right-wing media and another for Momentum."