The Conservative Party has expelled Lord Barwell, Theresa May's former chief of staff, after months of bitter Twitter outbursts against the party and its leader, Kemi Badenoch. The Daily Express understands the decision was based on his behaviour, not his political beliefs.
Expulsion Details
Lord Barwell was informed he would not regain the Conservative whip after repeatedly launching broadsides against the party and its leadership, and refusing to engage with internal party processes. A Conservative Party source told the Daily Express the peer had been expelled for "being constantly rude on Twitter," adding bluntly: "It's for bad behaviour, not beliefs." Another source described his actions as "sniping from the sidelines, throwing Twitter tantrums."
Final Straw
The party's patience ran out after Lord Barwell snubbed a request from the chief whip to explain himself upon returning from a leave of absence. In a letter, Tory chief whip Baroness Williams of Trafford accused him of making "a series of public statements directed against both the Leader of the Opposition and the Conservative Party." She drew a distinction between honest disagreement and disloyalty, writing: "There is an important distinction between disagreement and conduct that undermines the discipline and mutual respect upon which any serious political party depends." She stated that his "repeated public attacks on the Party" and refusal to engage with its processes had "fallen short" of the standards expected of whip holders.
Background
Lord Barwell served as Theresa May's chief of staff throughout her premiership, helping craft her ill-fated Brexit deal, which was ultimately rejected by MPs. Since the election, he became one of Badenoch's most vocal critics, at one point calling the party a "Reform tribute act" over its pledge to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. He is a prominent member of the Prosper group of Tory moderates, alongside former home secretary Amber Rudd and former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson.
Commenting online, Lord Barwell said he was "still getting text messages from the Whips telling me how to vote," implying the "party's right hand doesn't know what its left hand is doing."
