Labour councillors made ‘vile’ and ‘racist’ remarks in WhatsApp chat, damning report finds
Works council members made “vile” and “racist” comments in a WhatsApp group chat that led to the sacking of the Labor Minister, which led to by-elections in Gorton and Denton, a damning report has found.
In the fallout from comments made in the “Trigger Me Timbers” group last February, Andrew Gwynne was suspended from the Labor Party after it emerged that he had written that he hoped a 72-year-old female voter would “buzz” after daring to ask about bins before the next general election.
Now an independent report by researcher Linda Comstive for Tameside Council has concluded that six councilors in the WhatsApp group showed a “total disregard” for standards in public life; One of them was judged to have made “various statements that a reasonable person would find racist.”
The findings will be a blow for Labor and come less than four weeks before the February 26 by-election in Gorton and Denton, where he is expected to replace Mr Gwynne, who resigned last week.
The contest has torn Labor apart after Sir Keir Starmer blocked Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from running, prompting allegations of a “seam” to prevent the prime minister from facing a leadership challenge if his rival returns to Westminster.
The investigation into WhatsApp conversations followed a formal complaint that Mr Gwynne and others in the Labor Party had made “disgusting, racist, sexist, homophobic and vile comments”.
In total, 11 Labor councilors were sacked by the party over the revelations in February last year, but the inquiry examined six of them: Mr Gwynne’s wife, councilor Alison Gwynne, councilors Brenda Warrington, George Newton, Claire Reid, Jack Naylor and George Jones.
Among the report’s findings were that Mr. Naylor made an anti-Semitic joke in a series of speeches to an unnamed person by changing the lyrics of an Elton John song to “And I guess that’s why he hates all Jews.”
Mr Naylor offered a full apology in a statement, writing: “Regardless of my inexperience, there is no justification for my involvement – I take full responsibility for my actions and, whatever my intentions, I sincerely apologize for any offense caused.”
Meanwhile, Mr Newton was found to have “persistently harassed and humiliated” individuals using statements that “a reasonable person would find racist”.
While Mr Newton said he regretted the “childish” language he used, he told the inquiry the remarks were meant as “private jokes on a private messaging platform”.
The WhatsApp chat also included Mr Gwynne referring to someone as “too Jewish” and making derogatory remarks about former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and former Labor MP Dianne Abbott.
A charity worker told Ms Comstive that a neurodivergent elderly Labor supporter was left “freaking out” after being called a “terrible name” in a WhatsApp group. Since then, young people allegedly followed him on the street with insults.
They said: “People in the community feel like they have no one to turn to because they don’t have a local Labor councilor and Labor MP representing them; they’re too afraid of their morning coffee supply being taken away or their bins not being emptied. We’re told if you don’t vote (ie Labour) you’re going to die.”
Ms Gwynne and Ms Reid, who have since resigned as councillors, were suspended by the party for six months.
Mr Gwynne apologized for the content of the group chat when he resigned as MP, citing health reasons.
Labor declined to comment.
