Labour MP Oliver Ryan has admitted making ‘unacceptable’ comments in a WhatsApp group after a minister was sacked for making sexist, racist and anti-semitic messages in the chat
Another Labour MP has admitted making “unacceptable” comments in a WhatsApp group after a minister was sacked for making sexist, racist and anti-semitic messages in the chat.
Oliver Ryan, 29, the Burnley MP, apologised for his offensive remarks and said he regrets making them. He was reportedly a leading member of the WhatsApp chat, having posted more than 2,000 messages.
The MP is not suspended from Labour but the party is investigating comments made in the WhatsApp group in line with its rules and procedures. A government source said the messages were “deeply disappointing” and warning “no action is off the table”.
Greater Manchester Police is reportedly assessing complaints made about some of the WhatsApp group’s content.
Health minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked on Saturday night after vile messages emerged from the WhatsApp chat. Among them, he allegedly joked that he hoped an elderly woman would die after she asked about her bins. Other messages included a racist comment about veteran MP Dianne Abbott and sharing a sexist post about Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner performing a sex act.
In fresh messages leaked to the Daily Mail on Sunday night, Mr Ryan, who is openly gay, appeared to mock an MP and suggest he was gay. The MP who was reportedly targeted by him has not spoken publicly about his sexuality and is not known to be gay. According to the reports, Mr Ryan and Mr Gwynne also mocked Colin Bailey, a life-long lollipop man and local labour leader, as “Colin C*mface”. In one alleged message, Mr Ryan referred to him as: “Deaf Colin C*mface.”
When informed about the WhatsApps, Mr Bailey told the Mail: “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.”
The WhatsApp group called Trigger Me Timbers, which was set up in 2019, reportedly includes more than a dozen Labour councillors, party officials and at least one other MP, all based on the outskirts of Manchester. On Sunday housing minister Matthew Pennycook could not say if others in the chat will be suspended but that an investigation is taking place and “any action” that follows from it “will be seen through”.
In a statement posted on Twitter/X, Mr Ryan 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.”
A government source said: “Oliver Ryan’s remarks were unacceptable and deeply disappointing. While a Labour Party investigation is already underway, the chief whip will also be speaking to him and no action is off the table.”
With regards to Mr Gwynne, but also the wider WhatsApp group, a Labour spokesperson earlier said: “We are investigating comments made in this WhatsApp group in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures. Swift action will be taken if individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members.”
In a statement on Twitter, Mr Gwynne said on Saturday night: “I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offence 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. I entirely understand the decisions the PM and the party have taken and, while very sad to have been suspended, will support them in any way I can.”
