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Labour will punish any other MP or minister caught up in the Andrew Gwynne WhatsApp group scandal, a senior official has told Sky News.

The health minister was sacked over leaked comments he had posted on a group chat.

He reportedly made antisemitic comments and “joked” about a pensioner constituent, saying he hoped she died before the next election, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Politics latest: Minister says Andrew Gwynne’s comments ‘unacceptable’

Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, housing minister Matthew Pennycook described the remarks as “unacceptable”.

“I don’t know, personally, what other people on that WhatsApp conversation have said… I’ve being very clear, there’s an investigation taking place into the whole incident.

“What the public can take from the way the prime minister has acted decisively in this case to dismiss Andrew Gwynne is that if any other Labour MP or minister falls short he will act to uphold the highest standards in public office.”

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Andrew Gwynne, under secretary of state for public health and prevention, attends a parliamentary reception at the House of Commons hosted by campaign group Health Equals, inviting MPs to pledge their support for the new Parliamentary Champions Network that aims to raise awareness of health inequalities around the UK. Picture date: Wednesday November 6, 2024.
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File pic: PA

When asked about the scandal, Conservative Alex Burghart, a shadow Cabinet Office minister, told Phillips: “That really does suggest that just beneath the surface, between all the sort of the window dressing that Keir Starmer has done, that with senior Labour politicians, there may still be a very serious problem with antisemitism.

“And I hope that the prime minister will get to grips with that immediately.”

He added: “That was a big WhatsApp group with a lot of other Labour members on.

“Did any of them step in at the time? Did any of them call that out?

“That is a very serious remark, and if the prime minister doesn’t take action against everyone in that group very quickly, we know that there is still a problem in the Labour Party.”

On Saturday, a Labour spokesperson confirmed Mr Gwynne had been suspended as a member of the Labour Party.

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Following the decision by Labour, Mr Gwynne said he deeply regretted his “badly misjudged comments” and apologised for any offence 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.”

Opinion polls show Labour’s popularity has fallen since its landslide victory last year, with the party to struggling to maintain support as its efforts to boost economic growth have failed to get off the ground.

Mr Gwynne is just the latest minister to resign with ex-treasury minister Tulip Siddiq quitting last month and Louise Haigh stepping aside as transport minister in November.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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