guilty of "undesirable conduct'', it emerged last night.

The move was confirmed at a Central Council meeting -- which scrapped a recommendation that an MP is expelled if they vote against the Party Whip twice in one year.

Last night Party chairman Sen. Gary Pitman, said he hoped everyone would now respect the will of the majority.

But Trevor Moniz, one of the `People's Five', said: "The disciplinary rules have become even less specific.

"The difficulty is the phrase `undesirable conduct'. It could cover anything from picking your nose to murder.

"The assumption being made is vote against the Party Whip just once and you will be expelled,'' said Mr. Moniz.

The changes to the UBP's disciplinary code were passed on Tuesday at a Central Council meeting attended by almost 90 Party members.

Last night UBP chairman Sen. Gary Pitman said the amendments were passed overwhelmingly.

"After two lengthy debates, the United Bermuda Party amended its Constitution passing several amendments relating to the responsibilities of Party membership and a new procedure for discipline that, obviously, the vast majority of members are comfortable with.

"We hope that all Party members will respect the will of the majority which was so clearly expressed on Tuesday evening.'' The proposed changes to the disciplinary code originally stated that a Party member could be expelled if he or she was guilty of undesirable conduct or was no longer supportive of the aims and objectives of the Party.

An MP could also be expelled for voting against the Party Whip -- the Party's preferred policy -- twice in one calendar year. Both needed three Party members to put the expulsion forward.

Sen. Pitman said different amendments were passed which said if five Party members wrote to the Central Council it would meet to consider whether to suspend or expel a member or MP for undesirable conduct.

"There is no mention of votes against the Party Whip, for example. That was deleted after debate,'' he added.

What constituted undesirable conduct, said Sen. Pitman, would be left to the five individuals proposing a person's discipline. It would then be up to the Central Executive to give a judgment.

After the meeting on Tuesday the decision to amend the code was criticised by the `People's Five' who said they saw it as a retrogressive step, ultimately leading to the demise of the UBP.

Under the original amendments, the `Five' could have been suspended or expelled in one sitting if they went ahead with the Prohibited Restaurant Bill, which would defy the Party Whip.

Sen. Pitman added: "This process represents democracy at work within our organisation and the final result represents majority opinion.

"We may not agree on everything, but the United Bermuda Party has reaffirmed its strong belief in the process of consensus and the will of the majority.''