Complaints about members breaking the rules of the Party no longer need to be considered by the Party Council or branch. They should be sent directly to the General Secretary. The General Secretary will acknowledge the complaint and may then do any the following, as appropriate:

• Inform the member that they have breached the rules of the Party and (subject to appeal) are no longer eligible to be a member, or
• Issue a warning, or
• Suspend them from membership and/or as an officer, elected representative, delegate or candidate of the Party, pending the outcome of an investigation and/or
• Investigate the complaint and refer it to the NEC.

If a member is suspended pending investigation, they are not entitled to attend branch meetings – this is a change to the previous rules.  The branch and Party Council Secretaries will be informed.

It the complaint is referred to the NEC or NEC Disputes Sub Committee, they will decide if the Party’s rules or procedures have been broken and may:

• Issue a reprimand or warning
• Exclude the member from the Party for a defined period
• Exclude the member from holding office in the Party, or being a candidate or elected representative or delegate to or from any Party body
• Expel the member from the Party.

In cases determined by the NEC, the member can appeal to the Co-operative Party’s Disciplinary Committee, which is an elected body separate to the NEC.