A Labour party spokesperson said: “As part of our WhatsApp group investigation, a group of councillors have been administratively suspended from the Labour party.
The priest, who asked not to be identified further, said: “When the story of Andrew Gwynne’s WhatsApp group ‘Trigger Me timbers’ first broke, I was surprised they would be that foolish, but not entirely shocked at the content.
Many of the “nasty degrading comments” that Gwynne had made towards constituents, the priest said, were directed towards “party members who worked hard to get Andrew elected, who were on his side”.
In a shocking exchange of messages, the group talk about seeking “retribution” against the priest, who was also a Labour party member.
The MP also said he hoped a pensioner who had not voted Labour would have “croaked it” before an election, after she wrote to her local councillor seeking help with bin collections.
