Will Labour expel Benson-Pope?

The ODT notes that while David Benson-Pope has claimed there is no substance to the reports he is considering standing as an Independent candidate, he has refused to publicly rule it out. There will be a reason for that. Plus of course Benson-Pope lost his Cabinet post for his deceptive half truths, so even more reason to think he is planning something.

It would be very easy for David Benson-Pope to stop the speculation by simply saying “I can confirm that I will not be a candidate for the Dunedin South electorate in the 2008 election”.

Now Taito Philip Field was expelled from Labour for refusing to rule out the possibility he might stand for another party or as an Independent. Yes, that;s right – he wasn’t expelled for any of the reasons he is facing trial for corruption (in fact he was defended for his behaviour there) – it was the far more serious crime of potential disloyalty.

So will Benson-Pope get the same treatment for refusing to rule out an independent candidacy? Why on earth would he not rule it out, unless he wanted to keep the option open to him?