Burnley MP Oliver Ryan has been suspended by Labour over his membership of a vile WhatsApp group.
He is the second MP to lose the whip over leaked messages from the “Trigger me timbers” chat, after Health Minister Andrew Gwynne was sacked for his involvement. Both MPs have lost the Labour whip, meaning they will sit as independents in Parliament.
Mr Ryan, 29, was hauled before Chief Whip Alan Campbell today after he admitted to making “unacceptable” comments in the WhatsApp group made up of Labour councillors and activists in Greater Manchester. He apologised on Sunday night for his part in a chat filled with racist, sexist and other offensive comments.
Police are investigating the messages, in which Mr Ryan, who is gay, appeared to mock a fellow Labour MP, who hasn’t been named, over his sexuality. He also reportedly used an offensive nickname to refer to local Labour leader Colin Bailey.
Mr Ryan only became an MP in July, and was previously a Tameside councillor.
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Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Mr Gwynne was sacked as a minister and suspended by the party after he allegedly joked that he hoped an elderly woman would die after she asked about her bins. Other messages included a racist comment about veteran MP Diane Abbott and sharing a sexist post about Angela Rayner performing a sex act.
Police have recorded a “non-crime hate incident” over the message, a record kept by officers of speech or actions deemed hostile to characteristics like race, sex or disability.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “We have received a small number of complaints relating to publicised messages allegedly from a WhatsApp group. A non-crime hate incident has been recorded and we are in contact with our Parliamentary liaison as part of our initial enquiries.”
A Labour Party spokesman said: “As part of our WhatsApp group investigation, Oliver Ryan has been administratively suspended as a member of the Labour Party.
“As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was immediately launched and this process is ongoing in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures. Swift action will always be taken where individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members.”