A Labour minister has been sacked over a string of offensive WhatsApp messages, including one where he said he hoped an elderly voter dies.
Andrew Gwynne has also been suspended by the party after the comments were revealed by the Mail on Sunday.
The messages were posted on a WhatsApp group made up of Labour MPs, councillors and other party officials.
In one, Gwynne responded to a letter sent by a resident to their local councillor complaining about bin collections.
The Gorton and Denton MP suggested the councillor respond: “Dear resident, F*** your bins. I’m re-elected and without your vote. Screw you. PS: Hopefully you’ll have croaked it by the all-outs.”
“All-outs” is a reference to council elections when every seat is up for grabs.
In another message, Gwynne made an offensive remark about a Jewish person.
Discussing a local Labour Party meeting, a member of the group asks if Marshall Rosenberg -an American psychologist famed for his conflict management techniques – would be there.
Gwynne replied: “No. He sounds too militaristic and too Jewish. Is he in Mossad?”
In another comment, Gwynne appeared to suggest he wanted a cyclist to die.
It came after a councillor mentions a constituent called Nick who wants more cycle lanes.
Gwynne replied: “I had positive visions of him getting mown down by an Elsa Waste HGV while he’s cycling to the Fallowfield Loop [cycle lane]. We couldn’t be that lucky!”
A government spokesperson said: “The prime minister is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office and lead a government in the service of working people. He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “Andrew Gwynne has been administratively suspended as a member of the Labour Party.
“We are investigating comments made in this WhatsApp group in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures. Swift action will be taken if individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members.”
Nigel Huddleston MP, co-chairman of the Conservative Party, told the Mail on Sunday: ’These comments are sickening. It is shameful that a Labour minister thinks it is appropriate to wish for the death of one of his own constituents – especially as his government has cruelly taken away winter fuel payments and left vulnerable pensioners to freeze, and just goes to show how out of touch Labour are.”
