VETERAN Blaenau Gwent politician Rex Herbert was expelled yesterday from the Labour Party after supporting independent candidate Peter Law in last week's General Election.

Mr Herbert - who represented the Beaufort ward as a councillor for 52 years and was a member of the Labour Party for 56 years - signed Mr Law's nomination papers and canvassed for him.

Mr Law, the Assembly Member for Blaenau Gwent, left the Labour Party to stand as an independent in protest at the all-women shortlist imposed on the constituency.

He beat Labour's Maggie Jones with a 9,121 majority. Mr Herbert, who is 78, told the Argus that he went to a meeting of Beaufort Labour Party on Monday and was told by a Welsh Labour Party official that the meeting was unconstitutional, as he was no longer a member.

"I said that I wanted that in writing but I don't expect I shall get it,' he said. "The reason I took a stand was not for Peter - although he will make a first-class MP - but to teach the Labour Party a lesson that they can't bully local people.

"I am opposed to all-women shortlists and to all-male shortlists too. It must be a free and open vote.

"I am sad that the Labour Party would not let us make our own decisions." He added that he had canvassed openly for Mr Law, because he wanted to let local people "know where I stood".

A spokeswoman for the Welsh Labour Party said Mr Herbert knew he would automatically expel himself from the party by signing Mr Law's nomination papers.

"The rules are quite clear," she said and added Mr Herbert would be written to in due course.

Former Blaenau Gwent MP Llew Smith said Mr Herbert's expulsion was "utterly disgraceful".

He said: "Rex Herbert was the longest-serving councillor in the UK. He has served the party all his life with not a penny in return."

Mr Herbert has been given the freedom of the county borough and has also been awarded the MBE.

Mr Law said: "It's very unwise of them, the local party are going to pull the roof in on themselves if they carry on like this.

"Rex is a very decent, principled man who wants to stay in the party but stood up for the interests of the people. "I think they will live to regret the decision."