A second Labour MP has been suspended by the party and lost the whip in a row over… The post Oliver Ryan: Who is the second Labour MP to lose whip in WhatsApp row? appeared first on LabourList.
A second Labour MP has been suspended by the party and lost the whip in a row over a WhatsApp group where hateful messages were reportedly exchanged.
Oliver Ryan, MP for Burnley, will join the growing ranks of Labour-elected independent MPs, after being revealed as another member of the ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ private chat by the Daily Mail, posting more than 2,000 messages in the group.
The Daily Mail claims Ryan, who was first elected for the Lancashire constituency in July last year, made cruel remarks about a local Labour leader.
Ryan, who is openly gay himself, is also accused of having been involved in “homophobic banter” about a Labour MP being gay.
He is under investigation by the Labour Party over his comments, which were made during Ryan’s time as a councillor for Tameside Council and prior to his election to Parliament.
A spokesperson 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.”
Ryan was informed at a meeting with the chief whip this afternoon.
It comes after MP for Gorton and Denton Andrew Gwynne was also suspended, lost the whip and dismissed as a health minister and suspended from the Labour Party over his offensive comments made in the WhatsApp group, which included racist remarks about Diane Abbott and sexualised comments about Angela Rayner.
In a post on social media, Ryan apologised for his involvement in the group and said: “Between 2019 and early 2022, I was a member of a WhatsApp group by my MP and former employer Andrew Gwynne.
“Some of the comments made in that group were completely unacceptable, and I fully condemn them. I regret not speaking out at the time, and I recognise 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.
“I also made some comments myself which I deeply regret and would not make today and for that I wholeheartedly apologise.
“I will cooperate fully with the Labour Party’s investigation.”
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The post Oliver Ryan: Who is the second Labour MP to lose whip in WhatsApp row? appeared first on LabourList.
