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WHO is immune from Labour’s left-wing purge? Not even their Scottish youth wing it would seem.
George Taylor – who had been running for chair of Scottish Young Labour – was expelled from the party just days before ballots opened, meaning his nomination was then voided. This meant current chair Solomon Cuthbertson was elected unopposed.
This has led to anger amongst members, with some calling the decision “undemocratic” and “scandalous”.
A senior party member, meanwhile, told The National that the timing was “iffy” and “won’t help morale” for those campaigning for Scottish Labour in the General Election.
They added: “If we are serious about growing the party and winning elections, Scottish Labour has to be welcoming to young people."
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Taylor – who was a member of the party’s socialist wing – said it was “further proof of the low regard” he feels the party holds young members in.
“I'm aghast that some people think the party's disciplinary process is a tool to be abused for an internal youth election,” he added.
“A decision taken by the National Executive Committee in London means the Scottish youth wing have no say in who leads us.”
Taylor – who joined the party in 2016 at 18 years old and has since been an active member and campaigner for Aberdeen Labour – was accused by the NEC (which includes all the party's key stakeholders including Keir Starmer) of supporting Northern Independence and being a member of Socialist Appeal – a Marxist organisation which was proscribed by the Labour party in July 2021.
The Young Labour member said this was “incorrect” in his response to the ruling but said that he was still then expelled without any response or questions from the NEC disciplinary panel.
The supposed evidence – which The National has seen – was Taylor liking a series of tweets from Socialist Appeal predating July 2021. Most were images from the group’s appearance at a huge protest against the Tory Government’s police, crime, sentencing and courts bill. Others were critical of Labour’s move to proscribe the organisation over its marxist and socialist views.
He also liked several tweets from the Northern Independence Party – which seeks to make Northern England an independent nation – during lockdown. He said this was as a “joke” at the time.
Taylor reiterated to The National that a series of liked tweets from years ago did not indicate he supported or was a member of either organisation.
One young Labour member – who wished to remain anonymous – said Taylor’s expulsion was “another really troubling development in the context of democracy in the party”.
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“The party must investigate the process which led to George’s expulsion and when they realise they’ve made a mistake by wrongly expelling a great young member, they should re-run this election,” he added.
“The winning candidate himself has said that he wished the campaign had taken place, so let’s make it happen for the sake of fairness and democracy in the Labour Party.”
Lauren Harper, a youth representative on Labour’s Scottish Executive Committee said it was “incredibly disappointing” how this has occurred.
“I emailed the Scottish General Secretary to see if me and George could come in and have a wee chat,” she said.
“And he said, no – the complaints process is entirely independent which, as we've seen with Diane Abbott in recent days, is just not true.
“And I know through my own experiences with it that that is categorically untrue.”
She added: “I think it's completely undemocratic to just impose a chair without any election at all.”
Aaron Caulfield, chair of Stirling University’s Labour Society, said that this sort of action was bringing a “great chilling effect” to the party.
“Candidates or even just members are becoming more and more scared to say what what they believe and what I see as being fully within the beliefs of the Labour party as a democratic socialist Party, he said.
“It’s a trend towards appealing, not to centrism, but to more right-leaning ideologies for electoral gain rather than maintaining the party's morals.”
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "All complaints are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken."
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