A FORMER Tameside councillor has been suspended by the Labour Party over controversial WhatsApp messages deemed “unacceptable and deeply disappointing.”
Denton MP Andrew Gwynne was dismissed as a health minister after statements on the Trigger Me Timbers group were exposed, intensifying scrutiny on the political landscape.
Now Oliver Ryan, who previously represented Audenshaw and is now MP for Burnley in Lancashire, has followed his colleague and become the second parliamentary representative to be suspended by his party.
He expressed regret for his past statements dating back to his tenure on Tameside Council, stating they do not reflect his current views.
But after meeting with the chief whip at Parliament, he is now sitting as an Independent.
A Labour Party 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.”
The scandal, initially exposed by the Mail on Sunday, has reverberated locally and nationally, highlighting potential ramifications for Denton’s political scene.
The messages in question reportedly contain seemingly sexist, racist, and derogatory content, and prompted swift action from the Labour Party, which launched an investigation following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to remove Mr Gwynne from his ministerial role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention.
Among the more than 40 participants in the contentious WhatsApp group are all nine sitting Denton councillors, including Claire Reid, Jack Naylor, and George Newton.
These councillors have stepped down from their cabinet roles within Tameside Council pending the outcome of the investigation.