Lead Opposition Senator and former party leader Patrick Faber is demanding his immediate reinstatement in the United Democratic Party (UDP).
Faber, who was expelled from the party in September 2024, issued a formal letter to UDP Vice Chairman Alberto August, citing a recent High Court ruling that declared the expulsion of fellow party member Tracy Panton unconstitutional.
Faber argues that his expulsion, along with those of John Saldivar and Beverly Williams, mirrored the same flawed process used in Panton’s case. He says that the Central Executive Committee acted outside its constitutional authority by bypassing the UDP’s Ethics and Integrity Committee, which is the only body empowered to expel members under Article 11 of the party’s constitution.
“The Court concluded that the Central Executive Committee acted beyond its authority and failed to observe the principles of natural justice,” Faber wrote, demanding that his expulsion be declared null and void and that his full party membership be restored.
The UDP’s response, signed by Acting Chairman Alberto August, pushes back on the automatic application of the court’s decision to other expulsions. August said that “every case is determined on its own merits,” and that the ruling on Panton’s case should not be generalised to others with potentially different facts and circumstances.
August noted that Justice Tawanda Hondora, while acknowledging procedural flaws in Panton’s expulsion, ultimately left the question of her membership to the UDP itself, rather than the judiciary. August also outlined the process Faber must now follow if he seeks reinstatement, including submission to the Ethics Committee and potentially issuing an apology with a pledge to uphold party values.