UK Labour kicks out Blair spin doctor

The turmoil and confusion surrounding the United Kingdom's Labour Party took another twist on Tuesday with the expulsion of Alastair Campbell.

The former director of communications for Tony Blair's government has been an ardent supporter of a second referendum via the People's Vote campaign.

As a result, Campbell admitted to voting for the Liberal Democrats in last week's European elections, a party that is unequivocal in its backing for a second vote on the UK's membership of the European Union.

Tactical voting the right thing to do

Campbell reacted on Twitter with a four-part tweet in which he said he was "sad and disappointed" with the email he received to inform him of his ejection.

Currently acting in an ambassadorial role for a variety of mental health charities, the 62-year-old iterated his expulsion came at a time that he felt the party was moving in the right direction, largely due to the tactical voting he and other party members adhered to.

"I am and always will be Labour. I voted Lib Dem to try to persuade Labour to do right thing," before adding there there was "plenty of precedent of members voting for other parties/causes. Some are now senior party staff."

Labour's finance chief, John McDonnell, confirmed on Monday that the political group must listen to the electorate. "We must unite our party and country by taking the issue back to the people in a public vote."

This came in the wake of other leading figures also questioning the party's current stance on Brexit.

Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, and Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, also called for a less ambiguous position regarding a second referendum.

The outcome of the EU Elections saw Labour fall behind the Liberal Democrats and also lose ground to the Greens.

Alastair Campbell also confirmed he would be consulting lawyers as he believed he has grounds to appeal, before adding that he was particularly disappointed with his treatment, comparing it to other controversies hitting the party regarding anti-Semitism.

"Hard not to point out difference in the way anti-Semitism cases have been handled."

He had an ally in Labour MP Jess Phillips who has been repeatedly threatened in recent months. She tweeted: "He was expelled quicker than a man who threatened to kill me, quicker than a man who denied the Holocaust, both are only still suspended."

Campbell's removal is because of a party rule that voting for an opponent is forbidden to members. A Labour Party legal department spokesman told DW: "Essentially, publicly supporting another party is grounds for expulsion." When pressed on whether Labour MP Kate Hoey's endorsement of the Brexit Party's Nigel Farage was also grounds for dismissal, the spokesman added: "We'd have to look at it on a case-by-case basis and this would also be pending a complaint."

The Conservative Party recently suspended ex-deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine after he confirmed he would vote for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections.

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