MOMENTUM members and Labour leaders in Manchester called today for the party to “dismantle” the old economy as part of a radical programme in the face of Brexit — and a looming change of government.

More than 400 people attended a rally organised by the Manchester branch of the Jeremy Corbyn-supporting group on Saturday afternoon.

Speakers included Labour national executive committee members Lara McNeill and Navendu Mishra, Renewal journal editor Christine Berry and journalist Owen Jones.

Ms Berry urged the crowd to fight for a new political consensus, saying: “We need to take on the banks and landlords like Thatcher took on the trade unions.

“To make a new social order you have to dismantle the power bases of the old economy.”

Ms McNeill said: “The scale of the crisis we face should determine our answer to the question of how radical a Labour government should be.

“It is not the time for patching up problems or moderate solutions.

“We must be bold and commit to transformative change that ensures a decent standard of living and empowers people to democratise the economy and the state.”

Mr Jones pointed to the “crime” of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017 as “evidence that our social order doesn’t just put profit above the needs of working-class people, but their lives.

“It couldn’t be clearer today that tinkering around the edges is not enough – we need to fight for socialism.”

Mr Mishra, a well-known local activist, encouraged members to begin “fighting on the doorstep” for Labour in the upcoming local elections, and prepare for a general election “where we can deliver a Labour government and forever change the lives of millions.”