Labour minister sacked after leaked messages reveal he ‘wished pensioner would die’
A Labour MP who joked about an elderly woman dying in a group chat has been sacked and dismissed from the party.
Andrew Gwynne, MP for Gorton and Denton, also posted racist remarks about fellow MP Diane Abbott and sexist remarks about Angela Rayner.
In a WhatsApp group called Trigger Me Timbers, he joked that one constituent should be ‘mowed down’ by a truck and he also made antisemitic remarks.
This group chat is shared with more than a dozen Labour councillors, party officials and at least one other MP
He said he also hoped a 74-year-old woman ‘croaked it’ just because she asked a councillor who was in the same group chat about her bins.
The full message shared by Mr Gwynne in the group said: ‘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.’
Mr Gwynne was sacked by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as soon as he was made aware of the comments.
He posted an apology on X and 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.’
‘The Prime Minister is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office and lead a government in the service of working people,’ a Government spokesperson said.
‘He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case.’
A Labour spokesperson said: ‘Andrew Gwynne has been administratively suspended as a member of the Labour Party.
‘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.’
The Tories said the posts showed a ‘rot’ in the Labour Party.
‘There is a clear contempt for pensioners in the Labour Party. This clearly goes beyond Andrew Gwynne and there is a rot in Labour that needs fixing,’ Tory party co-chairman Nigel Huddleston said.
‘Andrew Gwynne should not remain a member of the Labour Party – they need to act.’
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