Labour MP ‘deeply regrets’ comments made on WhatsApp group – after health minister sacked for remarks on same chat

Published

5 months ago

February 10, 2025

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A Labour MP has said he “deeply regrets” comments made on a WhatsApp group – a day after health minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked for leaked racist and sexist remarks posted on the same chat.

Burnley MP Oliver Ryan is being investigated by the Labour Party over comments which a government source said were “unacceptable and deeply disappointing”.

The source told the Press Association: “While a Labour Party investigation is already under way, the chief whip will also be speaking to him and no action is off the table.”

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

In a statement on X, Mr Ryan apologised for remarks he made which he “would not make today”, and said he would “cooperate fully” with the investigation.

He said that between 2019 and early 2022, he was a member of a WhatsApp group “created by my MP and former employer, Andrew Gwynne”.

Mr Ryan said: “Some of the comments made in that group were completely unacceptable, and I fully condemn them.”

He also said he regretted “not speaking out at the time”, and he recognised that “failing to do so was wrong”.

“I did not see every message, but I accept responsibility for not being more proactive in challenging what was said,” he added.

Mr Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton, was sacked as health minister by Sir Keir Starmer on Saturday over remarks he posted on the 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.

Meanwhile, a senior official said Labour will punish any other MP or minister caught up in the scandal.

Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, housing minister Matthew Pennycook described Mr Gwynne’s 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.”

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

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.”

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

Politics

Crypto’s path to legitimacy runs through the CARF regulation

Published

7 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Crypto’s path to legitimacy runs through the CARF regulation

The CARF regulation, which brings crypto under global tax reporting standards akin to traditional finance, marks a crucial turning point.

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Tokenized equity still in regulatory grey zone — Attorneys

Published

7 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Tokenized equity still in regulatory grey zone — Attorneys

The nascent real-world tokenized assets track prices but do not provide investors the same legal rights as holding the underlying instruments.

Politics

Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Published

13 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Rachel Reeves hints at tax rises in autumn budget after welfare bill U-turn

Rachel Reeves has hinted that taxes are likely to be raised this autumn after a major U-turn on the government’s controversial welfare bill.

Sir Keir Starmer’s Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill passed through the House of Commons on Tuesday after multiple concessions and threats of a major rebellion.

MPs ended up voting for only one part of the plan: a cut to universal credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

Initially aimed at saving £5.5bn, it now leaves the government with an estimated £5.5bn black hole – close to breaching Ms Reeves’s fiscal rules set out last year.

In an interview with The Guardian, the chancellor did not rule out tax rises later in the year, saying there were “costs” to watering down the welfare bill.

“I’m not going to [rule out tax rises], because it would be irresponsible for a chancellor to do that,” Ms Reeves told the outlet.

“We took the decisions last year to draw a line under unfunded commitments and economic mismanagement.

“So we’ll never have to do something like that again. But there are costs to what happened.”

Meanwhile, The Times reported that, ahead of the Commons vote on the welfare bill, Ms Reeves told cabinet ministers the decision to offer concessions would mean taxes would have to be raised.

The outlet reported that the chancellor said the tax rises would be smaller than those announced in the 2024 budget, but that she is expected to have to raise tens of billions more.

It comes after Ms Reeves said she was “totally” up to continuing as chancellor after appearing tearful at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Criticising Sir Keir for the U-turns on benefit reform during PMQs, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the chancellor looked “absolutely miserable”, and questioned whether she would remain in post until the next election.

Sir Keir did not explicitly say that she would, and Ms Badenoch interjected to say: “How awful for the chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she would stay in place.”

In her first comments after the incident, Ms Reeves said she was having a “tough day” before adding: “People saw I was upset, but that was yesterday.

“Today’s a new day and I’m just cracking on with the job.”

Sir Keir also told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby on Thursday that he “didn’t appreciate” that Ms Reeves was crying in the Commons.

“In PMQs, it is bang, bang, bang,” he said. “That’s what it was yesterday.

“And therefore, I was probably the last to appreciate anything else going on in the chamber, and that’s just a straightforward human explanation, common sense explanation.”