Diane Abbott calls on ALL members of 'racist and sexist' Labour WhatsApp group to quit - as Oliver Ryan becomes second MP suspended over vile chat
Diane Abbott has condemned a Labour WhatsApp group as 'racist and sexist' as she called for anyone involved to quit the party.
The veteran Labour MP, 71, has spoken out after Oliver Ryan became the second MP to be suspended over being a member of the group where vile messages were exchanged.
The first to be disciplined was Andrew Gwynne, who lost his ministerial role and was suspended by Labour after The Mail on Sunday brought messages to the attention of Downing Street over the weekend.
Police confirmed they had received complaints about the WhatsApp messages and had recorded a non-crime hate incident while making 'initial inquiries'.
Yesterday, it was revealed Mr Gwynne and others made racist jokes about Ms Abbott and mocked her historic achievement in becoming the first black MP at either Despatch Box for Prime Minister's Questions.
Ms Abbott responded by calling for any party members involved to 'step down from whatever position they have in Labour'.
'They were offensive remarks,' she told Sky News, 'and in 2025, people should know better than to go in for that kind of racist and sexist verbiage.'
She said the party has 'done the right thing' by suspending two MPs, but she said she was 'very sad' to see Mr Gwynne involved in the scandal, adding 'he's better than this'.
Diane Abbott, the longest-serving female MP has called for Labour member in a WhatsApp group to quit their roles
Diane Abbott pictured alongside sacked minister Andrew Gwynne back in 2024
Burnley MP Oliver Ryan is being investigated by the Labour Party over comments in a WhatsApp group
In the private chat, called Trigger Me Timbers, Mr Ryan took part with others in apparently homophobic banter as they joked about a fellow Labour MP being gay.
In a series of posts, Mr Ryan also made cruel remarks about a local Labour leader and life-long lollipop man in Greater Manchester called Colin Bailey.
Members of the WhatsApp group are also revealed to have exchanged racist, sexist and anti-Semitic messages.
Labour Party bosses were facing questions about why they didn’t act sooner.
Gerald Cooney, former Labour leader of Tameside council in Greater Manchester, told the Guardian he warned senior party officials multiple times more than a year ago about the group.
However a Labour source told the newspaper they did not receive any formal complaint.
Three Labour Tameside councillors – Claire Reid, Jack Naylor and George Newton – resigned yesterday over their involvement. Greater Manchester Police have recorded some messages as a non-crime hate incident.
Ms Reid was the administrator for Trigger Me Timbers, which she joined under her maiden name Claire Francis. It appears she made no effort to delete the offensive messages, nor warn others not to make such comments in the WhatsApp group.
The senior councillor also sits on Labour’s powerful National Executive Committee, as a member of the National Policy Forum.
Richard Holden MP, shadow paymaster general, said: ‘With two MPs suspended in just two days for their vile remarks, it is now clear how deep the rot is inside Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour party.’
A Labour 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.'
Andrew Gwynne, the Gorton and Denton MP, was sacked as a minister and was also suspended by Labour after The Mail on Sunday brought messages to the attention of No10
Oliver Ryan, the Burnley MP pictured with Sir Keir Starmer, has lost the Labour whip in Parliament and will now sit as an independent in the House of Commons
Mr Ryan is one of the youngest MPs and was a Labour councillor for nine years before being elected to Parliament last year.
He is a long-time friend of Mr Gwynne, who posted messages which involved him mocking a pensioner who did not vote Labour and wishing her dead before the next council election.
The pensioner from Stockport had written to her Labour councillor saying she had not voted for him, but nevertheless asked for his help about bin collections.
The councillor, David Sedgwick, posted the letter on the group, to which Mr Gwynne posted a mock reply on Mr Sedgwick's behalf. He said: 'Dear resident, F*** your bins. I'm re-elected and without your vote.
'Screw you, Dave. Ps Hopefully you'll have croaked it by the all-outs [council elections].'
Mr Gwynne was sacked immediately as a minister and also suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation.
A No10 spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office. He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case.'
Meanwhile Mr Ryan, who is himself gay, made inappropriate comments about a Labour MP, whom we have chosen not to name.
In February 2019, one member describes the MP as 'a thick posh lazy oaf. Factually correct but lacks pizzazz'.
In the private chat, called Trigger Me Timbers, Mr Ryan took part with others in apparently homophobic banter as they joke about a fellow Labour MP being gay
Sir Keir at a Labour Party shadow cabinet meeting in Salford with Mr Gwynne in 2019
Mr Ryan replies: 'The straight choice,' appearing to suggest he is gay.
Then Cllr Sedgwick adds: '#sodomitefor****', mentioning the MP's constituency.
Mr Ryan says: 'A movement we can all get behind... again and again,' appearing to reference gay sex.
Mr Ryan asks Mr Gwynne: 'Have you caught ***?' using the MP's nickname.
Mr Gwynne replies: 'Is it an STI [sexually transmitted infection]?'
Mr Ryan is openly gay, but the Labour MP being mocked in the group has never discussed his sexuality publicly and is not known to be gay.
Mr Ryan also mocked a senior Labour leader, 61-year-old Mr Bailey, who is vice-chairman of the party's Audenshaw branch.
Mr Bailey, a life-long lollipop man who has been a member of the Labour Party for 42 years, was mocked as 'Colin C*mface' by Mr Ryan and Mr Gwynne.
In February 2019, when the group was discussing a recent Labour victory, Mr Sedgwick asked the group: 'How did Colin C*mface take it?'
Moments later, Mr Ryan refers to him as: 'Deaf Colin C*mface.'
When informed about the nasty name-calling, Mr Bailey said last night: 'I am very angry about this. I thought Oliver was a friend, as I did some work for him.
'That's the thing, you help these people, and they stab you in the back.'
He added: 'My daughter has reported this to the police today.'
Trigger Me Timbers was set up in 2019, and consists of at least two MPs, over a dozen Labour councillors, as well as senior party officials in the Greater Manchester area.
