Preben Bang Henriksen, a long-serving Venstre member of Denmark's Folketing, expects to be expelled from the party's parliamentary group. He spoke after a group meeting on Tuesday, Ekstra Bladet reported.
An extraordinary group meeting was called for later Tuesday. "I am at least for another hour. An extraordinary group meeting has been called," Henriksen said when asked if he was still a member of Venstre's group.
Asked if he expected to be thrown out, he replied: "Yes, it seems to point in that direction."
Henriksen is among the Venstre rebels who voted against the party line on the so-called fertilisation law. In a newsletter Tuesday morning, he wrote: "It is incomprehensible to me that one did not want the compensation rules clarified before adoption, but completely left the rules to an agriculture-hostile minister. He added: "I hope the same will not happen regarding the law on spraying ban.
He was part of the rebel movement with former Folketing Speaker Søren Gade, who later left the party.
Berlingske reported that Venstre's Louise Louring called the afternoon meeting a "landmark group meeting. "We are going to have a landmark group meeting. For once, we must say it as it is, instead of people having to figure things out themselves," she said. The meeting follows an extraordinary main board meeting on Sunday at which chairman Troels Lund Poulsen won support for a greener political line, to the annoyance of agricultural supporters in the old farmers' party. Five members voted against the fertilisation law. Party leadership also won support for expelling members who go against the party line in the future. Amanda Heitmann has since fallen into line, Berlingske reported.