Keir Starmer sacks health minister Andrew Gwynne over WhatsApp messages

A Labour MP has said helium regrets making “badly misjudged” comments aft Sir Keir Starmer sacked him arsenic a minister.

Andrew Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton, has been sacked arsenic wellness curate and suspended from the Labour Party.

The Prime Minister dismissed Mr Gwynne arsenic a curate arsenic soon arsenic helium became alert of the comments, it is understood.

Mr Gwynne posted connected X: “I profoundly regret my severely misjudged comments and apologise for immoderate offence I’ve caused. I’ve served the Labour Party each my beingness and it was a immense honour to beryllium appointed a curate by Keir Starmer.

“I wholly recognize the decisions the PM and the enactment person taken and, portion precise bittersweet to person been suspended, volition enactment them successful immoderate mode I can.”

Mr Gwynne posted messages successful a WhatsApp radical called Trigger Me Timbers, which helium shares with much than a twelve Labour councillors, enactment officials and astatine slightest 1 different MP, the Mail connected Sunday reported.

He made antisemitic slights and joked astir a constituent being “mown down” by a truck, the paper said.

He besides reportedly wrote successful 1 connection that helium hoped a 72-year-old pistillate would soon person “croaked it” aft she asked a councillor, who shared the connection successful the group, astir her bins.

“The Prime Minister is determined to uphold precocious standards of behaviour successful nationalist bureau and pb a authorities successful the work of moving people,” a Government spokesperson said.

“He volition not hesitate to instrumentality enactment against immoderate curate who fails to conscionable these standards, arsenic helium has successful this case.”

A Labour spokesperson said: “Andrew Gwynne has been administratively suspended arsenic a subordinate of the Labour Party.

“We are investigating comments made successful this WhatsApp radical successful enactment with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures.

“Swift enactment volition beryllium taken if individuals are recovered to person breached the precocious standards expected of them arsenic Labour Party members.”