Alastair Campbell's Expulsion from the Labour Party: Rules, Loyalty, and the Debate

“ because of his disloyalty” Bit of a loaded question!

Alastair Campbell was not suspended - he was expelled. According to Labour party rules, any member who violates party policy or guidelines can be expelled. Therefore, the party was within their rights to expel him. However, it was certainly very rapid. He was expelled within a couple of days of making his statement over a holiday weekend.

Was it Fair?

Alastair Campbell is a thorn in the side of the present party leadership. Thousands of other members, including Cherie Blair, also voted Liberal Democrat but have not been expelled. This inconsistency raises the question of whether the expulsion was fair due to the current leadership's dislike of Alastair Campbell and Cherie Blair's high profile. If every member who admitted to voting Liberal Democrat party membership were expelled, the party's membership would dwindle further. This provided a very handy way of getting rid of Alastair Campbell, but it might come back to bite them in the future!

Expulsion in Context of the Brexit Referendum

According to me, if the Labour Party expelled everyone who voted pro-remain in the last European election, they would halve the membership. Party conference voted to remain, and that was party policy. So, what about the disloyalty of all the Brexiters in the Labour Party? They could always join the UK Independence Party (UKIP) or other Brexit-supporting parties.

Personal Musings and Analysis

I do not like him due to his involvement leading up to the Iraq War - I feel he gets too much media coverage. I do not know if Blair was aware of his mental problems at the time, but I do think Blair and Campbell are right to speak out about the negative consequences of Brexit. A suspension will not stop him being a Labourite - he was right to vote Liberal Democrat, and it was his decision to honestly admit it when asked.

The Importance of Following Party Rules

It is not about ‘deserve.’ He broke the rules, and he knew what they were. People cannot whine on about the Labour Party not following their own rules and then expect the Labour Party not to follow their own rules because they happen to like Alastair Campbell. The party must enforce its own rules to maintain integrity and consistency.