Two Labour MPs have now been suspended from the party after “offensive” messages from a WhatsApp group they were members of were leaked. Andrew Gwynne was sacked as a health minister on Saturday after the Mail on Sunday reported a string of abusive posts, which included one where he "joked" about a pensioner constituent dying and another about a cyclist being killed. Burnley MP Oliver Ryan was suspended by Labour on Monday after meeting with the party’s Chief Whip to explain his involvement and three Tameside councillors have also stepped down from their cabinet jobs while an investigation is underway.
Here’s what we know about the scandal.. The WhatsApp group, reportedly called Trigger Me Timbers, is said to have contained around 20 people and was mainly made up of councillors and Labour activists. It was set up by Mr Gwynne when he believed he was at risk of deselection in his Denton seat - a process known as a trigger ballot - and used to organise campaigning. Mr Ryan, 29, said he was a member of the group between 2019 and early 2022, when he was a Tameside Metropolitan Borough councillor. He was elected as an MP in July 2024.
Tameside councillors Claire Reid, Jack Naylor and George Newton, who were also said to have been part of the group, stepped down from their cabinet roles this week after an investigation was launched. All three represented a Denton ward. Mr Gwynne is accused of making sexist comments about now Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and racist remarks about Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP Diane Abbott.
He also “joked” about constituents. One message said he hope a 72-year-old woman “croaked it” before the next election after she complained about her bins and said she did not vote Labour. Sharing a letter from the pensioner, Mr Gwynne reportedly wrote: “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.”. He also joked about a cyclist being “mown down” by a lorry when they asked for more cycle lanes.
While the group has been shut down, there are reportedly hundreds of screenshots from conversations. Labour officials are said to be concerned that more offensive messages will be exposed in the coming days. A Labour source said: “We are braced for more.”. Both MPs have apologised for their involvement and Labour has launched an investigation. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said that a "non-crime hate incident" had been recorded after it received complaints about the reported messages. But the force did not confirm whether it would be starting its own investigation.
Local Labour activists are said to be searching for the leaker after the scandal exposed the deep divides in the party locally. Gerald Cooney, the former leader of Tameside council, said he warned regional officials about Trigger Me Timbers messages previously. Members are said to be divided into three camps - those who back its MPs Gwynne, Ms Rayner and Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds. Mr Gwynne said: "I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offense I’ve caused. I’ve served the Labour Party all my life and it was a huge honour to be appointed a minister by Keir Starmer.
