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A former minister sacked over “sexist” and “racist” WhatsApp messages is being investigated by parliament’s standards watchdog.
In a development which could see Sir Keir Starmer face his first by-election in government, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has launched an investigation into Andrew Gwynne.
Mr Gwynne was sacked as a minister and suspended from the Labour Party earlier this month after the emergence of offensive messages in a WhatsApp group.
Mr Gwynne, who is now sitting as the independent MP for Gorton and Denton, is listed among the investigations being carried out by the commissioner, for “actions causing significant damage to the reputation of the House as a whole, or of its Members generally”, according parliament’s website.
Parliament’s standards watchdog can recommend an MP’s suspension based on the findings of its investigations, with the suspension then voted on by MPs.
Any MP who receives a suspension of longer than 10 sitting days is subjected to a recall petition in their constituency, with a by-election triggered if more than one in 10 voters sign the petition.
Mr Gwynne won his seat for Labour with a comfortable 13,413 majority, but any Labour candidate in a future by-election would likely face a major challenge from Nigel Farage’s insurgent Reform UK.
Labour suspended the whip from Mr Gwynne in February as well as fellow MP Oliver Ryan, who was elected in July, over his involvement in the “Trigger Me Timbers” WhatsApp group, which contains members from Tameside and Stockport councils.
The party has also suspended 11 Labour councillors, including Mr Gwynne’s wife, for being part of the WhatsApp group.
The group contained offensive messages, including one from Mr Gwynne in which he allegedly wrote a mock reply to a complaint from a 72-year-old constituent.
According to the Mail on Sunday, which exposed the group, he wrote in one message: “Dear resident, F*** your bins. I’m re-elected and without your vote. Screw you. PS: Hopefully you’ll have croaked it by the all-outs.”
He is also accused of making racist comments about veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott and sexist comments about deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the paper claimed.
It was reported his comments further included antisemitic slights and a joke about a constituent being “mown down” by a truck.
In a statement released after his suspension, Mr Gwynne said: “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.”
