Not angry, just ‘sad and disappointed’: Labour expels former spin doctor Alastair Campbell
Tony Blair's former press secretary Alastair Campbell has been unceremoniously expelled from the Labour Party after he revealed that he voted for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections.
Campbell revealed that he had voted outside of party lines during the BBC's election night broadcast on Sunday. On Tuesday the PR man said he was both “sad and disappointed” at his party’s decision, which he vowed to fight having taken legal counsel.
He claimed his decision to vote for the Lib Dems was based on their platform in support of a second Brexit referendum, and that it was an attempt to persuade Labour to “do the right thing” regarding the party's handling of Brexit.
Also on rt.com Labour leader Corbyn calls for immediate general election as UK PM Theresa May resignsCampbell alluded to precedent within his own party of members voting for other parties or causes including, most notably, when his former boss and British Prime Minister Tony Blair was pressured to remove the Labour whip from Jeremy Corbyn for voting against the party. Some online commentators deployed seven-year-old tweets as evidence of hypocrisy within the current Labour Party leadership.
Hey, @UKLabour I've found evidence of a Labour MP publicly praising a candidate from another party who had just beaten Labour in an election. Action, please pic.twitter.com/8YkNe1L1AG
— David Ross (@RossPolitics) May 28, 2019
The former spin doctor also dredged up the ongoing anti-Semitism scandal which has plagued the Labour party for months, remarking that allegations therein were dealt with in a far more lackadaisical fashion than his own unceremonious expulsion, hinting that perhaps such efficacy might have benefitted Labour earlier in the ongoing scandal.
3. I am and always will be Labour. I voted Lib Dem, without advance publicity, to try to persuade Labour to do right thing for country/party. In light of appeal, I won't be doing media on this. But hard not to point out difference in the way anti-Semitism cases have been handled.
— Alastair PEOPLE’S VOTE Campbell (@campbellclaret) May 28, 2019
The UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission just so happened to launch an investigation into alleged anti-semitism within the Labour Party on the same day Campbell was dumped. Many shared Campbell’s take on the Labour Party’s apparent priorities.
Blimey! Labour struggling for years to take disciplinary action against members accused of antisemitism but managed to expel Alastair Campbell for voting Lib Dem over the course of one Bank Holiday weekend. Amazing new efficiency!!
— Tony Robinson (@Tony_Robinson) May 28, 2019
Yep I do have thoughts, he was expelled quicker than a man who threatened to kill me, quicker than a man in my CLP who denied the Holocaust, both are only still suspended. https://t.co/8dRZxC3Hd5
— Jess Phillips (@jessphillips) May 28, 2019
Meanwhile, the answer to a question no one asked, Owen Jones, questioned why there was any controversy in the first place, as Labour Party rules explicitly state that voting against the party is grounds for expulsion.
Given it's a Labour Party rule that any member who publicly supports another party auto-excludes themselves - as it was when Tony Blair was leader - why is there any controversy over Alastair Campbell? Should the rules not apply to him, and if so, why?
— Owen Jones🌹 (@OwenJones84) May 28, 2019
Others wistfully made light of the situation, pointing out the parallels between the seemingly never-ending Brexit saga and Campbell’s own plight.
It’s alright, @campbellclaret, just say you don’t accept the result and that you’re going to remain a @UKLabour member anyway. #RemainLogic#Brexit#Remainer#Remoanerhttps://t.co/fLsGOHMWZE
— Sarkis Zeronian (@sarkisz) May 28, 2019
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
