In one message, Mr Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton allegedly joked that he hoped an elderly woman would die, after she asked about her bins
Keir Starmer sacked Health Minister Andrew Gwynne last night over racist and sexist messages he allegedly sent online.
In one message, Mr Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton allegedly joked that he hoped an elderly woman would die, after she asked about her bins.
“Dear resident,” he reportedly wrote. “F*** your bins. I’m re-elected and without your vote. Screw you. PS: Hopefully you’ll have croaked it by the all-outs [next round of local elections].”
Other messages appeared to show him saying someone’s name sounded “too Jewish” and “too militaristic”, before asking whether he was in Mossad, the Israeli secret service.
Other messages included racist comments about veteran MP Dianne Abbott and sexist comments about Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner performing a sex act.
In another message, he allegedly responded to “anti-Semitic banter” in the group with a mocking tone, saying “Geoffrey the Giraffe says don’t be nasty to the Jews.”
The messages were reportedly found in a private WhatsApp chat called “Trigger Me Timbers”, set up in 2019 between Mr Gwynne, Labour councillors and one other MP.
A government spokesman said: “The Prime Minister is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office and lead a government in the service of working people. He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case.”
He’s also been suspended by the Labour Party. A spokesperson 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 wrote: “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.”
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