A suspended Labour councillor – booted for their membership of an offensive WhatsApp group – has written exclusively to GB News, claiming the story has been “widely misreported” and described the remarks as an instance of “blowing off steam”.
Messages sent in the group included joking about the death of an elderly constituent and “homophobic” jibes towards a sitting Labour MP.
The Labour Party suspended 11 councillors from Greater Manchester last night, as part of an investigation into a WhatsApp group where offensive messages were shared.
The chat was exposed by the Mail on Sunday over the weekend, resulting in the suspension of two Labour MPs. Andrew Gwynne, who was serving as a health minister, lost his whip alongside backbencher Oliver Ryan.
Andrew Gwynne, who was serving as a health minister, lost his whip alongside backbencher Oliver Ryan
PA
In the messages seen by the Mail on Sunday, Andrew Gwynne MP stated that he hoped a 72-year-old woman would soon be dead, following her complaints to a local councillor about bin collections.
Oliver Ryan MP – who is himself openly gay – appeared to mock a fellow Labour parliamentarian about his sexuality.
Ryan’s messages were sent before he became an MP.
It is unclear why the 11 councillors have been suspended, with Labour yet to present evidence the councillors posted offensive messages themselves.
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The suspended councillor, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “This story has been widely misreported, with little to no context provided.
“While some comments were totally unacceptable, this was a private conversation amongst friends, and in some cases, remarks were simply an instance of blowing off steam rather than a reflection of genuine intent or belief.
“I am fully cooperating with the investigations being conducted by both the council and the national Labour Party.”
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have recorded a non-crime hate incident in relation to a WhatsApp group chat, which has raised concerns about freedom of speech.
Oliver Ryan was elected to represent the constituency of Burnley just last year in JulyGETTYGB News Deputy Political Editor Tom Harwood wrote on X: “GMP should be nowhere near this. Every laddish group chat in the country could now be a police incident…
“Opposition MPs would do well to stand by their professed belief in freedom of speech and call this authoritarian insanity out for what it is”.
The suspended councillor went on to thank GB News for its commitment to covering both sides of the story.