For those interested in Labour’s new proscription rules this is the central list of Prohibited Acts …
2.I.5.B. Prohibited Acts are the following acts:
- Possessing membership of a registered political party in the United Kingdom other than the Party or the Co-operative Party.
- Supporting financially a registered political party in the United Kingdom other than the Party or the Co-operative Party.
- Joining a Parliamentary party or caucus other than the Parliamentary Labour Party or the Labour Party in the Welsh Parliament or the Scottish Parliament.
- Joining a local authority Group other than the official Party Group without the permission of the NEC.
- Possessing membership of, providing financial assistance to, sitting on the ruling body of or otherwise supporting (as may be defined by the NEC) any political organisation that the NEC in its absolute discretion shall declare to be inimical with the aims and values of the Party.
- Physically abusing employees of the Party.
- Threatening or harassing employees of the Party.
- Being convicted by a Court in the United Kingdom of a serious offence. For these purposes, a ‘serious offence’ is an offence that is serious in the opinion of the NEC and which may include, inter alia, indictable offences, sexual offences and/or offences committed by an adult against a child.
- Failing to satisfy an order for costs in the Party’s favour promulgated by a Court or Tribunal in the United Kingdom.
- A ‘substantiated safeguarding concern’ finding is made as the result of either an investigation by a Local Authority Designated Officer or another suitable professional regulatory body, or as the result of an outcome from a safeguarding investigation conducted by a statutory agency.
Fascinating that threatening staff is a prohibited act but not members!!! Point v is the one that is being used to expel members of so-called proscribed organisations, they key phrase being, or otherwise supporting. This rule was passed at Conference 21 and thus came into effect the after conference; they were published some time in 2022, but after the proscription decisions were taken.
One can appeal on to the NCC
2.I.6 Upon termination of a member’s membership pursuant to Chapters 2, Clause I.4.C or I.5.C, a former member may appeal against that termination to the NCC on grounds that:
- The General Secretary or the NEC has contravened a provision in Chapters 2, Clause I.4 or I.5;
- The findings of the NEC are flawed or tainted by bias or unsupported by the evidence; and/or
- The evidence provided to the Party under Chapter 2, Clause I.4.C is false, wrong or fabricated.
- The member shall remain expelled from membership of the Party until such time that such member’s appeal is upheld by the NCC.
Interesting C does not exclude illegally obtained evidence.