That the frontbencher felt emboldened enough to make alleged racist, sexist remarks in a work context says much about that culture within the Labour Party, states Darren Lewis
HYPOCRISY has never been in short supply within our political class.
Or among “some” broadcast media hosts, aghast at callers joining the dots between the platforms Nigel Farage has been gifted a season ticket to and his rise in popularity with sections of the electorate. The only surprise is that anyone is surprised. Which leads us neatly on to Labour, the current government and Andrew Gwynne.
At a time when trust in politicians is lower than it has ever been, Sir Keir Starmer’s health minister was sacked at the weekend for alleged racist, sexist and anti-semitic remarks. And no, I’m not calling them jokes because this is no laughing matter.
In a WhatsApp group containing other MPs and councillors, Gwynne claimed he hoped a 72-year-old woman would die before the next election because she didn’t vote Labour.
He racially insulted his Labour colleague Diane Abbott, aimed a sexist slur at the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and claimed a lesser-known individual “sounds too Jewish” and “too militaristic” based on their name alone, adding: “Is he in Mossad?”
A second Labour MP, Oliver Ryan, has also apologised for making “unacceptable and deeply disappointing” comments in the group.
Neither are the kind of colossus that the world of politics will remember, let alone miss, in a year’s time. Of considerably more concern is the hypocrisy they both symbolise.
You’d be right to argue that we all say things in private that we’d be mortified to see in the outside world. But this WhatsApp group apparently included more than a dozen Labour councillors, party officials and at least one other MP.
That Gwynne – England’s youngest councillor when first elected in 1996, and a frontbencher for most of his Commons career – felt emboldened enough to make these remarks in a work context says much about that culture within the Labour government.
The Tories had probably better sit this one out, given their litany of racist remarks in public, let alone private. Last year their biggest donor, Frank Hester, allegedly claimed looking at Abbott made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.
And last March the Tories’ first Muslim cabinet minister, Baroness Warsi, claimed the Conservatives are now known as “the institutionally xenophobic and racist party”. But Gwynne’s sacking – presumably with Ryan’s to follow – represents a wider issue for Labour.
The Forde Report of 2022 revealed sexism and racism within the party, based on the examination of hundreds of private WhatsApp messages from named Labour staff members.
And it matters because, for so long, Labour supposedly represented the people, the working classes, those of different races. Yet over the past two years it has haemorrhaged support to such an extent it can no longer take the vote of its traditional base for granted.
Starmer’s lack of support for Muslims over Gaza triggered such a massive backlash against him two years ago that both he and Rayner were forced to clarify their positions. At last year’s election, four Labour MPs – including Shadow Paymaster General Jon Ashworth – unexpectedly lost to pro-Palestinian independents.
Last week, Health Secretary Wes Streeting was vilified for buying into far-right rhetoric with his claim that the NHS is too keen to hire migrant doctors. And this week, he has been accused of trying to out-Farage the Reform leader by filming immigration raids in places of employment that play up to all the old stereotypes.
It is against that backdrop – and they are just some examples – against which Gwynne’s conduct has to be viewed. Labour is in danger of becoming the party of the forked tongue.
Starmer is trying to promote them as be the good guy up against the far right, but – with apologies to George Orwell in 1984 – it is kinda tricky right now to tell which is which.