Uh oh. Former Labour health minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked and suspended at the weekend after some rather controversial message exchanges involving the MP were revealed. A second MP, Oliver Ryan, had the whip removed on Monday after his role in the controversial group chat – ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ – came to light. But now, as reported by the Times, more messages have been unearthed that paint the pair in an even worse light.
The private group, for the eyes and ears of a select few Labour activists and MPs in Greater Manchester, was in use between 2019 and 2022. Amongst normal conversations were remarks deemed sexist, racist and derogatory – with Labour campaigners frequently taking aim at ‘trots’ and ‘cretins’ in the party. Politicians were pressed to stir up stories about a gay Labour colleague ‘having sex parties’ with ‘decrepit trade unionists’, with Ryan mocking a visually impaired colleague and Gwynne calling someone an ‘illiterate retard’. Charming!
More than that, some group members were rather disparaging about the late Queen, with one blasting the former monarch as ‘lazy’. When members were asked if anyone had seen Prince Phillip, one replied with a skeleton emoji. And, in 2020, when a review into antisemitism under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership revealed unedifying messages between officials, one of the group panicked: ‘I’d be decapitated if my WhatsApp was leaked!!!?’ Good heavens…
Gwynne was suspended after the Mail on Sunday revealed that, when a 72-year-old resident got in touch with his constituency party to complain about her bin collection, the MP suggested replying: ‘Dear resident, F*** your bins. I’m re-elected and without your vote. Screw you. PS: Hopefully you’ll have croaked it by the all-outs.’ Ryan has meanwhile admitted he too made comments ‘which I deeply regret and would not make today’ before losing the Labour whip. Cue the by-elections…
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