I wonder if Tessa Jowell is aware of the Labour Party's Rule Book. In particular the Membership Rules in Chapter 2. Section A covers "Conditions for Membership." Rule 4b states:
A member of the party who joins and/ or supports a political organisation other than an official Labour group or other unit of the party, or supports any candidate who stands against an official Labour candidate, or publicly declares their intent to stand against a Labour candidate, shall automatically be ineligible to be or remain a party member, subject to the provisions of part Chapter 6 A.2 below of the disciplinary rules.
So are Peter Hain, Ed Balls and Tessa Jowell up for expulsion with their advice to voters in certain constituencies to vote Lib Dem rather than Labour?
Adjudicating at Labour Party disciplinary hearings is not a matter for me. But I think Hain and Balls have been careful to keep within the letter if not the spirit of this rule. They have given a duplicitous nod and a wink to encourage people to vote Lib Dem ("It's an issue..") - then added their formal advice that everyone should vote Labour. But I think Tessa Jowell has been more careless in her words and the case that she is "automatically" "ineligible" to "remain a Party member" would be hard to refute.
The Mirror has urged people in a large number of constituencies to vote Lib Dem. Tessa Jowell says that is a "good thing." That is a much clearer breach of Party rules than anything from the Norfolk North West Labour candidate Manish Sood. At least he is still urging everyone to vote Labour.
