Labour expels a member every three days for backing rival parties or banned groups

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Labour expelled a member roughly every three days last year for backing rival parties or banned groups, LabourList analysis of party figures has revealed.

Figures show that 137 members were booted out for aiding Labour’s rivals in ways banned by the party’s rulebook in 2024.

Of the 137, 84 saw their membership automatically terminated, while another 53 were expelled following investigation by the party’s ruling body.

Under Chapter 2 of Labour’s membership rules, activities that end in automatic termination include standing for election against a Labour candidate, signing nomination papers for someone standing against Labour and acting as their election agent. Other forms of support for other parties or proscribed groups are first scrutinised by panels made up of members of the national executive committee before expulsion decisions are made.

Members are not allowed to be in another political party or provide financial support to any party other than Labour or the Co-operative Party.

READ MORE: 1 in 3 misconduct allegations probed by Labour NEC still involve antisemitism

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was expelled from the Labour Party last year for standing as an independent against Labour in his Islington North constituency. Corbyn had been suspended from the party whip since 2020 for his reaction to the EHRC report into Labour antisemitism.

Labour members can also be kicked out of the party for supporting proscribed groups, such as Socialist Appeal, Labour in Exile Network, Labour Against the Witchhunt and Resist – all of which were proscribed by the NEC in 2021.

In November, the director of the Compass campaign group Neal Lawson said he had been cleared of breaching party rules over a tweet backing cross-party collaboration – after a 17-month probe.

LabourList has learned that around one in five suspended members had been suspended for more than 18 months, and there are reportedly more than 240 active disciplinary cases.

The Labour Party declined to comment.


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