British director, writer and producer Ken Loach has been expelled by the Labour Party for refusing to disown organisations.
The man behind British cinema classics including Kes and Daniel Blake has been a member of the Labour Party since the 1960s – Loach was an ardent supporter of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Ken Loach is one of the most famous and respected directors in Hollywood. He made a name for himself with his gritty, realistic films about working class life.
Reports that Loach could be expelled from the Labour Party surfaced in July this year.
Mr. Loach released a statement on his Twitter page following the decision.
He said the reason is because he will not disown members of four small left-wing groups already expelled by the party.
In the statement, he said: “Labour HQ finally decided I’m not fit to be a member of their party, as I will not disown those already expelled. Well…”.
“I am proud to stand with the good friends and comrades victimised by the purge. There is indeed a witch hunt”.
“Starmer and his clique will never lead a party of the people. We are many, they are few. Solidarity,” he added.
Loach first joined the Labour Party in the early 1960s but left after being a member for 30 years. His affiliation with it continued from August 2015, when he endorsed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaign and helped create an hour-long documentary called “In Conversation with Jeremy Corbyn” during his second election campaign of September 2016.
Loach’s unending support for the Labour Party was put to use in 2017 when he directed an election broadcast featuring a profile of Corbyn.
Loach has been vocal in his views suggesting the Labour Party is not anti-Semitic and said in 2017 that he had never heard anti-Semitic or racist remarks during 50 years of attending Labour, trade union and left-wing meetings.
When Ken Loach was announced to be expelled on Saturday, people responded with the hashtag #Solidarity and #IStandWithKenLoach.
The hashtag #IStandWithKenLoach has gone viral twice before!
One woman said: “Solidarity Ken. They can take away your party membership but they can never take away your reputation as a film maker and champion of the people. Their loss”.
The National Executive Committee voted to expel four left-wing groups due to their non-compatibility with the party’s values.
The groups included Resist, Socialist Appeal, Labour in Exile Network and Labour against the Witchhunt.
