Labour suspends Oliver Ryan over vile WhatsApp group where messages mocked pensioners and made misogynistic and homophobic remarks_Nhy
A second MP was today suspended by Labour over their membership of a vile WhatsApp group.
Oliver Ryan, the 29-year-old Burnley MP, has lost the Labour whip in Parliament and will now sit as an independent in the House of Commons.
It comes after he was investigated over comments in a WhatsApp group, of which sacked health minister Andrew Gwynne was also a member.
Mr Gwynne lost his ministerial role and was suspended by Labour after The Mail on Sunday brought messages to the attention of Downing Street over the weekend.
Police confirmed they had received complaints about the WhatsApp messages and had recorded a non-crime hate incident while making ‘initial inquiries’.
In the private chat, called Trigger Me Timbers, Mr Ryan took part with others in apparently homophobic banter as they joked about a fellow Labour MP being gay.
In a series of posts, Mr Ryan also made cruel remarks about a local Labour leader and life-long lollipop man in Greater Manchester called Colin Bailey.
Members of the WhatsApp group are also revealed to have exchanged racist, sexist and anti-Semitic messages.
A Labour spokesman said: ‘As part of our WhatsApp group investigation, Oliver Ryan has been administratively suspended as a member of the Labour Party.
‘As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was immediately launched and this process is ongoing in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures.
‘Swift action will always be taken where individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members.’
A senior Labour figure earlier dodged on whether those MPs involved in the WhatsApp group should be kicked out of the party for good.
Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle condemned the messages exchanged in the group – but insisted ‘anyone can make mistakes’.
Oliver Ryan, the Burnley MP pictured with Sir Keir Starmer, has lost the Labour whip in Parliament and will now sit as an independent in the House of Commons
In the private chat, called Trigger Me Timbers, Mr Ryan took part with others in apparently homophobic banter as they joke about a fellow Labour MP being gay
Andrew Gwynne, the Gorton and Denton MP, was sacked as a minister and was also suspended by Labour after The Mail on Sunday brought messages to the attention of No10
The Government’s chief whip Sir Alan Campbell informed Mr Ryan of the decision to suspend him this afternoon.
It came after it emerged he was another leading member of the group, where he has posted more than 2,000 messages.
Before Mr Ryan’s suspension, Dame Angela told Times Radio this morning she had been shocked by the posts and stressed there was a process ongoing.
‘I think anyone can make mistakes and when they make mistakes they apologise. We’ve seen the apologies from both men,’ she said.
‘Andrew Gwynne has been sacked and had his membership of the party suspended administratively while there is an ongoing investigation to get to the context.
‘I will await the outcome of that.’
Dame Angela told Sky News of Mr Ryan – who was not an MP at the time the messages were sent: ‘My understanding is the Chief Whip will be seeing him today.
‘There’s an ongoing investigation into the entirety of that WhatsApp group, Andrew Gwynne has been administratively suspended, that kind of comments are not acceptable.
‘So the Prime Minister has taken a very strong stance straight away on all of this as soon as it came to light.’
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: ‘We have received a small number of complaints relating to publicised messages allegedly from a WhatsApp group.
‘A non-crime hate incident has been recorded and we are in contact with our Parliamentary liaison as part of our initial inquiries.’
Ashley Dalton, Labour MP for West Lancashire, was appointed to fill Mr Gwynne’s old job as a health minister today.
Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle condemned racist, sexist and anti-Semitic messages exchanged in the group – but insisted ‘anyone can make mistakes’
The Tories had demanded Sir Keir Starmer take swift action.
Former party chairman Richard Holden said: ‘With such hateful remarks being spewed, getting to the bottom of this situation should be Sir Keir Starmer’s top priority.’
‘Sir Keir should not hide behind the process to delay action, especially with concerns that there were more MPs, councillors and Labour members involved.’
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart said: ‘That was a big WhatsApp group with a lot of other Labour members on.
‘Did any of them step in at the time? Did any of them call that out? If the Prime Minister doesn’t take action against everyone in that group, very quickly, we know that there is still a problem in the Labour Party.’
Last night Mr Ryan was forced to issue an apology, saying he regrets his comments.
He said: ‘Between 2019 and early 2022, I was a member of a WhatsApp group created by my MP and former employer, Andrew Gwynne.
‘Some of the comments made in that group were completely unacceptable, and I fully condemn them. I regret not speaking out at the time, and I recognise that failing to do so was wrong.
‘I did not see every message, but I accept responsibility for not being more proactive in challenging what was said.
‘I also made some comments myself which I deeply regret and would not make today and for that I wholeheartedly apologise.
‘I will co-operate fully with the Labour Party’s investigation.’
Mr Ryan is a long-time friend of Mr Gwynne (right, pictured with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2019)
Mr Gwynne (right, pictured greeting the late Queen) was sacked immediately as a minister and also suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation
Mr Ryan is one of the youngest MPs and was a Labour councillor for nine years before being elected to Parliament last year.
He is a long-time friend of Mr Gwynne, who posted messages which involved him mocking a pensioner who did not vote Labour and wishing her dead before the next council election.
The pensioner from Stockport had written to her Labour councillor saying she had not voted for him, but nevertheless asked for his help about bin collections.
The councillor, David Sedgwick, posted the letter on the group, to which Mr Gwynne posted a mock reply on Mr Sedgwick’s behalf. He said: ‘Dear resident, F*** your bins. I’m re-elected and without your vote.
‘Screw you, Dave. Ps Hopefully you’ll have croaked it by the all-outs [council elections].’
Mr Gwynne was sacked immediately as a minister and also suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation.
A No10 spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office. He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case.’
Meanwhile Mr Ryan, who is himself gay, made inappropriate comments about a Labour MP, whom we have chosen not to name.
In February 2019, one member describes the MP as ‘a thick posh lazy oaf. Factually correct but lacks pizzazz’.
Mr Ryan replies: ‘The straight choice,’ appearing to suggest he is gay.
Then Cllr Sedgwick adds: ‘#sodomitefor****’, mentioning the MP’s constituency.
Mr Ryan says: ‘A movement we can all get behind… again and again,’ appearing to reference gay sex.
Mr Ryan asks Mr Gwynne: ‘Have you caught ***?’ using the MP’s nickname.
Mr Gwynne replies: ‘Is it an STI [sexually transmitted infection]?’
Mr Ryan is openly gay, but the Labour MP being mocked in the group has never discussed his sexuality publicly and is not known to be gay.
Mr Ryan also mocked a senior Labour leader, 61-year-old Mr Bailey, who is vice-chairman of the party’s Audenshaw branch.
Mr Bailey, a life-long lollipop man who has been a member of the Labour Party for 42 years, was mocked as ‘Colin C*mface’ by Mr Ryan and Mr Gwynne.
In February 2019, when the group was discussing a recent Labour victory, Mr Sedgwick asked the group: ‘How did Colin C*mface take it?’
Moments later, Mr Ryan refers to him as: ‘Deaf Colin C*mface.’
When informed about the nasty name-calling, Mr Bailey said last night: ‘I am very angry about this. I thought Oliver was a friend, as I did some work for him.
‘That’s the thing, you help these people, and they stab you in the back.’
He added: ‘My daughter has reported this to the police today.’
Trigger Me Timbers was set up in 2019, and consists of at least two MPs, over a dozen Labour councillors, as well as senior party officials in the Greater Manchester area.
Sir Keir at a Labour Party shadow cabinet meeting in Salford with Mr Gwynne in 2019
The Mail on Sunday and Daily Mail have reviewed thousands of messages from the group, and found a barrage of abusive texts.
Yesterday, it was revealed Mr Gwynne made racist jokes about veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott.
Mr Gwynne also made offensive remarks about Jewish people and Deputy PM Angela Rayner was also mocked by the group.
