Labour Minister Andrew Gwynne has been sacked and suspended from the party after a number of WhatsApp messages, including hopes for a pensioner's death and anti-Semitic comments were exposed.
The Prime Minister stripped Gwynne of his role as Health Minister when the content of his messages came to light yesterday.
In a shocking exchange revealed by the Mail on Sunday, Gwynne mocked a 72-year-old constituent who wrote about bin collections after not voting Labour.
His message read: "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."
The messages were shared in a WhatsApp group called Trigger Me Timbers with Labour councillors and officials.
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."
Labour Minister sacked and suspended by Labour after vile WhatsApp messages exposed
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A Labour spokesperson confirmed: "Andrew Gwynne has been administratively suspended as a member of the Labour Party. We are investigating comments made in this WhatsApp group."
The MP also made anti-Semitic remarks in the group, questioning if someone named Marshall Rosenberg was "too militaristic and too Jewish" and asking if he was "in Mossad".
Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Anti-Semitism, said suggesting someone with a Jewish name was an Israeli spy agent "feeds to an enduring anti-Semitism trope of Jews being infiltrators."
Gwynne is also alleged to have made racist comments about Diane Abbott's historic appearance as the first black MP at Prime Minister's Questions.
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A Labour spokesperson confirmed that Andrew Gwynne had been suspended and that an investigation was underway into the comments made in this WhatsApp group
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A spokesman for the PM said Starmer would 'not hesitate to take action' in such cases
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When the milestone was discussed in the group, Gwynne dismissed it saying it was "because it's Black History Month apparently."
Bishop Desmond Jadoo, director of the Windrush National Organisation, condemned the remarks, saying: "These comments have racial connotations that have no place in our society."
The Minister also mocked Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, sharing a vulgar tweet about her performing a sex act.
In another exchange, Gwynne wrote about hoping a constituent requesting cycle lanes would be "mown down by an Elsa Waste HGV while he's cycling to the Fallowfield Loop".
Andrew Gwynne with Jeremy Corbyn in 2019
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Gwynne has been in politics since 1996, when he became England's youngest councillor at age 21.
He was elected as MP in 2005 and appointed Minister for Public Health and Prevention after last year's General Election.
He previously served as Shadow Minister for Public Health and Social Care.
Gwynne said in a statement: "I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offence I’ve caused.
"I’ve served the Labour Party all my life and it was a huge honour to be appointed a minister by Keir Starmer.
"I entirely understand the decisions the PM and the party have taken and, while very sad to have been suspended, will support them in any way I can."
