Rob Rooney, president of Cornwall Trades Council, has been expelled from Your Party for holding dual membership of both Your Party and the Socialist Party, whilst standing in a leadership committee election.

Voting for the election opened on Monday evening, where members from Cornwall and the South West of England could vote for two candidates to represent the South West on the 18-person Central Executive Committee. Out of the eleven South West candidates, two were from Cornwall; Rob Rooney and previous Labour Parliamentary candidate Jennifer Forbes.

Whilst currently against party policy, some have questioned the timing of Rooney’s expulsion, as he has been open about his membership of the Socialist Party since the beginning of his election campaign.

At November’s Party Conference in Liverpool, a motion was passed in favour of dual-membership, yet only with parties that align with Your Party’s values. The decision that defines which parties are allowed and which are not will be made by the incoming CEC.

Several South West candidates have taken to social media to decry Rooney’s disqualification and expulsion, with the Zarah Sultana-led slate Grassroots Left launching a petition calling for his reinstatement. They have also called for independent oversight of the elections due to ‘top-down’ decision making during the process.

Speaking to Cobblestone Media, Rooney has stated:

“This decision was taken by persons unknown in a totally underhand and anti-democratic manner and it will be appealed – if those in power allow an appeal. It illustrates the divide in the party as different tendencies contend for its soul, each claiming to be on the right side of history.

“I joined Your Party because it was the culmination to everything I’d been fighting for since 1995 when the Labour Party abolished Clause Four of its constitution – a promise of a mass party of the working class with a socialist constitution. No matter what the outcome of this struggle, I will continue fighting for my class.

“On February 24 I will be with others at County Hall, Truro campaigning for a needs budget for Cornwall and exposing the scurrilous role of elected representatives in denuding Cornwall of its public services which disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. And on March 4 we will be following that up with a public meeting at Moresk Centre, Truro which highlights the devastating effect of the cuts on just one section of the community.”

Your Party Cornwall had a shaky start in November. Their inaugural assembly faced criticism, as it was due to be held at the King Charles the Martyr Church in Falmouth. The venue has faced years of pressure from the community and anti-racism campaigners because of its memorial to slave trader Thomas Corker. The event eventually drew a few hundred attendees to the Cornish Bank to hear from party founder Jeremy Corbyn and local activists.

This election period has been fraught- some candidates stood on slates, attracting criticism from others who were not able to gain endorsements from figures such as Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. Cornwall has had its fair share of conflict as candidate Jenn Forbes, – part of Jeremy Corbyn’s slate, The Many – claimed in an online hustings and on social media that she has faced backlash from “sectarian left groups in Cornwall” for requesting changes to a local hustings event, a claim resulting in public online arguments between Your Party members.

Image Via: Cobblestone Media.