Labour members react to Alastair Campbell’s expulsion with #ExpelMeToo hashtag
Former Labour ministers and councillors along with staff members and supporters back up ex-Blair spin doctor in saying they also voted Liberal Democrat
Labour members have reacted to news of Alistair Campbell’s expulsion for voting for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections by admitting that they did too.
Former Labour ministers joined councillors and staff members in claiming that they voted for a different party, saying they “await their expulsion papers” in an online movement trending under the hashtag #expelmetoo.
Some of the biggest names to voice dissent were former home secretary Charles Clarke, former defence secretary Bob Ainsworth and former Labour MP Fiona Mactaggart, who represented Slough for 20 years.
Others included David Wilkinson, a former director of Greater London Labour and campaign manager for Labour’s unsuccessful mayoral candidate Frank Dobson, who lost to Ken Livingstone, a figure many Labour members voted for without expulsion.
Dozens of “longstanding” Labour members declared their vote went elsewhere, either to the Lib Dems, Greens or Change UK, because they did not understand or did not agree with Labour’s stance on Brexit.
Such was the level of feeling that Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson was forced to call for an “amnesty” for those who voted for other parties this time round.
Party rebels took to social media to declare “I am Spartacus,” in reference to a moment of collective support in the famous Kirk Douglas film, as a Roman emperor tells a group of slaves that unless they identify Spartacus they will all be crucified.
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