Labour councillors made ‘vile’ and ‘racist’ remarks in WhatsApp chat, damning report finds

Labour councillors made “vile” and “racist” remarks in a WhatsApp group chat that led to the sacking of the Labour minister who prompted the Gorton and Denton by-election, a damning report has found.

The fallout from the comments made in a group called “Trigger Me Timbers” last February saw Andrew Gwynne suspended from the Labour Party, after it emerged he wrote that he hoped a 72-year-old female constituent “croaks” before the next general election, after she dared to ask about her bins.

Now, an independent report for Tameside Council by investigator Linda Comstive has concluded that six councillors in the WhatsApp group had shown “complete disregard” for standards in public life, including one judged to have made “several remarks that a reasonable person would find racist”.

The findings will be a blow for Labour and come less than four weeks before the Gorton and Denton by-election expected on 26 February, to replace Mr Gwynne, who stepped down last week.

The contest has torn Labour apart after Sir Keir Starmer blocked Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from standing as a candidate, prompting claims of a “stitch-up” to prevent the prime minister from facing a leadership challenge if his rival were to return to Westminster.

The investigation into the WhatsApps conversations came after a formal complaint about Mr Gwynne and other Labour figures making “disgusting, racist, sexist, homophobic and vile comments”.

In total, 11 Labour councillors were suspended by the party over the revelations in February last year, but the investigation looked into six of them – Mr Gwynne’s wife, councillor Alison Gwynne, along with councillors Brenda Warrington, George Newton, Claire Reid, Jack Naylor and George Jones.

Among the report’s findings was that Mr Naylor made an antisemitic joke by changing the lyrics of an Elton John song to “And I guess that’s why she hates all the Jews” in one set of exchanges about an unnamed person.

In a statement, Mr Naylor offered a full apology, writing: “There is no justification for my involvement, irrespective of any inexperience – I take full responsibility for my actions; and for any offence caused, regardless of my intent, I am truly sorry.”

Meanwhile, Mr Newton was found to have “persistently abused and denigrated” individuals by using remarks that “a reasonable person would find racist”.

While Mr Newton said he regretted his “childish” language, he told the investigation that the remarks were meant as “private jokes on a private messaging platform”.

The WhatsApp chat also saw Mr Gwynne refer to someone as “too Jewish” while there were derogatory remarks about former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and former Labour MP Dianne Abbott.

A charity worker told Ms Comstive that one elderly Labour supporter, who is neurodivergent, was left “distraught” over being called a “terrible name” in the WhatsApp group. It was claimed that teenagers had since hounded him in the street with the insult.

They said: “People in the community feel that there is no one they can turn to, as there is no local Labour councillor representing them and no Labour MP; they are too scared of having their coffee morning resources taken away or bins not emptied. They have been told if you do not vote for us (ie Labour), you will be dead.”

Ms Gwynne and Ms Reid, who has since stepped down as a councillor, were suspended by the party for six months.

Mr Gwynne apologised for the content of the group chat when he stepped down as an MP, citing health reasons.

The Labour Party has declined to comment.