The Labour Party has suspended 11 of its councillors over their membership of a WhatsApp group that led to a minister being sacked from the frontbench.
It is understood most of the councillors are part of Tameside Council while two are members of Stockport Council.
The move comes after the party sacked health minister Andrew Gwynne – whose wife Alison is now understood to have also been suspended – over messages he reportedly posted in the group.
Mr Gwynne’s sacking was followed by the party suspending Burnley MP Oliver Ryan for comments made in the WhatsApp group.
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On the suspension of the 11 councillors, a party spokesperson said: “As part of our WhatsApp group investigation, a group of councillors have been administratively suspended from the Labour Party.
“As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was launched in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures and this process is ongoing.
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“Swift action will always be taken where individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members.”
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Sky News understands the following councillors have now been suspended:
The suspension of the Tameside councillors comes after three Labour members of the same local authority “stepped away” from their duties on Tameside Council.
Councillors Jack Naylor, Claire Reid, and George Newton – who were members of the WhatsApp group – are also being investigated by the Labour Party.
A spokesperson for Tameside Labour told Sky News on Monday afternoon: “Following reports over the weekend of messages shared in a historic WhatsApp group, Councillors Reid, Naylor and Newton have decided to step away from their executive duties at Tameside Council whilst an investigation by the Labour Party is underway.”
On Monday the Labour Party also confirmed that newly elected Mr Ryan had had the whip removed, meaning he will now sit as an independent MP in the Commons.
The 29-year-old Burnley MP apologised on Sunday and said he “deeply regrets” the comments he made, which a government source said were “unacceptable and deeply disappointing”.
According to the Daily Mail, Mr Ryan joked about a fellow Labour MP being gay.
In a statement on X over the weekend and before his suspension, Mr Ryan apologised for remarks he made which he “would not make today”, and said he would “cooperate fully” with the investigation.
He said that between 2019 and early 2022, he was a member of a WhatsApp group “created by my MP and former employer, Andrew Gwynne”.
Mr Ryan said: “Some of the comments made in that group were completely unacceptable, and I fully condemn them.”
The MP also said he regretted “not speaking out at the time”, and he recognised that “failing to do so was wrong”.
He was the second Labour MP to be suspended by the party for comments made in the same WhatsApp group, which was created by Mr Ryan’s former employer Mr Gwynne.
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Mr Gywnne, who has served various frontbench posts in opposition, was sacked as health minister and suspended from the party for alleged racist and sexist remarks posted in a WhatsApp chat which contained Labour councillors, party officials and at least one other MP.
According to the Mail On Sunday, Mr Gwynne made racist comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott and sexist remarks about Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
He is also reported to have said he hoped a pensioner would soon die after she asked a councillor about bin collections – and to have joked about a constituent being “mown down” by a truck.
Mr Gwynne said he deeply regretted his “badly misjudged comments” and apologised for any offence caused.
Mr Gwynne is the latest MP to lose his position on the frontbench after ex-treasury minister Tulip Siddiq quit last month and Louise Haigh resigned as transport minister in November.
