11 Labour councillors suspended over offensive WhatsApp group

Nearly a dozen Labour councillors have been suspended from the party for involvement in a WhatsApp group that has already seen two MPs lose the whip.

The group of 11 is understood to include Allison Gwynne, the wife of former health minister Andrew Gwynne – who has been sacked over a series of offensive comments made in the chat.

Oliver Ryan, the MP for Burnley who was elected last summer, has also been sacked for his involvement in the group named ‘Trigger Me Timbers’.

The councillors who were administratively suspended on Tuesday are understood to include Ms Gwynne, former council leader Brenda Warrington, and Claire Reid, a member of Labour’s national policy forum.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: ‘As part of our WhatsApp group investigation, a group of councillors have been administratively suspended from the Labour Party.

‘As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was launched in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures and this process is ongoing. Swift action will always be taken where individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members.’

Mr Gwynne left Government and was suspended from Labour at the weekend after reports he had sent messages to the group including a joke about a constituent being ‘mown down’ by a truck.

He also said hoped a 72-year-old woman would soon die after she asked a councillor about bin collections, according to the paper.

The MP for Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester said he deeply regretted his comments and apologised.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer dismissed him as a minister as soon as he became aware of the comments, it is understood.

Mr Ryan is also said to have used an offensive nickname to refer to local Labour leader Colin Bailey.

Ashley Dalton, the MP for West Lancashire, has been appointed as a minister at the Department of Health and Social Care following Mr Gwynne’s departure.

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