Theodora Polenta, Labour conference delegate from Rushcliffe constituency, has been expelled from Labour conference and sent a letter saying she is suspended for “bringing the party into disrepute”.
Polenta challenged Conference Arrangements Committee on the first day of conference, over the CAC ruling the Rushcliffe motion to conference out of order (as “covering more than one topic”). The challenge was done through normal procedure and anyway was (like most challenges over the years) unsuccessful.
Since then Polenta has not spoken or done anything that could be construed as disruptive. The “worst” she has done is to remain seated during standing ovations
On Sunday 22 September, James Whiting, general secretary of the Socialist Education Association, an official affiliate of the Labour Party, and a SEA delegate to conference, was excluded from conference and suspended. The only background was Whiting inquiring where he should sit. He had a delegate card but it showed no seating allocated.
He was wearing a small Free Palestine badge, but was told nothing about that being the reason for barring him.
In 2005 Labour stewards removed Walter Wolfgang, an 82 year old Labour veteran, from conference for (mildly) heckling then foreign secretary Jack Straw over Iraq. (Neither the Rushcliffe delegates nor Whiting heckled).
The 2005 Blairite move backfired badly. Officials readmitted Wolfgang to conference the next day, and in 2006 he won election to Labour’s National Executive.
As quick a turnaround is unlikely now. But loud protest can make the new Starmer party machine regret its control-freakery overreach.