On Sunday 9 February, the Labour Party “sacked and suspended” health minister Andrew Gwynne (sacked as a minister/suspended from the party). Why did they suspend him? Because leaked WhatsApp messages showed him being racist, sexist, and vile towards colleagues and older constituents – constituents he also wished death on for daring to ask Gwynne to do his job.
While the things Gwynne said are sickening, they’re not surprising. As many have pointed out, the Forde Report uncovered Labour’s institutional racism years ago. It’s also clear from Labour’s decision to remove the Winter Fuel Allowance that they don’t care about the lives of old people.
Martin Forde KC said that a ‘hierarchy of racism’ existed in The Labour Party under Keir Starmer’s leadership. The Andrew Gwynne revelations have proved that this is still the case. pic.twitter.com/BDAFSKsslY
— MikeD (@mjdaly57) February 9, 2025
There is one thing that’s shocking, however, and that’s the fact that Labour have only suspended Gwynne – i.e. they haven’t expelled him for good. It’s particularly shocking because on 7 February Labour expelled a councillor following his public criticism of Keir Starmer:
BREAKING – Labour Councillor Steve Edwards, who represents Brockmoor and Pensnett, as been expelled from the Party after saying that Sir Keir Starmer had ‘lied to the British public and has turned his back on working-class people’ | Dudley News https://t.co/5nM1XuRubi
— Joe Rich (@joerichlaw) February 7, 2025
What sort of party can excuse racism but not criticism?
Another Labour sicko exposed – this time, Andrew Gwynne
The Daily Mail exposed Andrew Gwynne and his messages on 8 February, with the Guardian summarising what was revealed later that evening:
The Gorton and Denton MP’s alleged messages include one in which he joked that he hoped a 72-year-old woman would soon die after contacting her Labour councillor about her bins.
“As you have been re-elected, I thought it would be an appropriate time to contact you with regard to the bin collections,” she wrote.
When the letter from the resident was shared in the WhatsApp group, Gwynne wrote a suggested response: “Dear resident, fuck your bins. I’m re-elected and without your vote. Screw you. PS: Hopefully you’ll have croaked it by the all-outs.”
His reference to “all-outs” refers to local council elections in which the whole local authority is up for election. In many cases, only a third of a council faces elections each year.
Among the other messages, Gwynne is alleged to have said someone “sounds too Jewish” and “too militaristic” from their name. He also asked: “Is he in Mossad?”
He is also said to have made comments about both Diane Abbott, the veteran Labour MP, and Rayner.
In 2019 in the WhatsApp group, called Trigger Me Timbers, Gwynne is alleged to have said support for Abbott’s historic appearance as a black woman at prime minister’s questions was a “joke”, apparently adding that her appearance was “because it’s Black History Month apparently”.
Gwynne offered a half-arsed excuse on social media:
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. 2/2
— Andrew Gwynne MP (@GwynneMP) February 8, 2025
“Badly misjudged” is how Wynne describes his comments.
Given that Labour has actively created a hostile environment for old people and that Gwynne has voted in line with Starmer’s government, it’s clear this man doesn’t give a shit about human life, making it difficult to believe he was joking.
It’s also hard to believe that Gwynne being repeatedly racist and sexist was a joke. He’s not Roy Chubby Brown; he’s a 50-year-old professional speaking to other professionals in a professional context. Beyond that, he’s a person with significant responsibility for the fair and equal treatment of the public. Even if we believe his comments were not reflective of his true feelings, Gwynne should be smart enough to realise that doing bigoted banter with colleagues is not going to be productive if his ambition is to promote social justice for all.
The Forde Report
As Samantha Asumadu wrote for the Canary, the Forde Report had already exposed the toxic attitudes which exist within the Labour Party:
In 2020 Keir Starmer commissioned an investigation into antisemitism, racism, sexism, and bullying in the wake of a leaked document containing private WhatsApp messages exposing an insidious racist environment fostered by senior Labour Party workers.
The Forde report exposes a hierarchy of racism denied by the Labour leadership. It came out to a tsunami of Labour PR approved tweets. Their response effectively was ‘the report says the party was out of control. Keir is now in control and everything is going to be ok now because he’s getting rid of those people’.
However, racism in the Labour Party predates both the current and last Labour leader.
It’s hardly surprising that Starmer would do nothing to improve things, as Asumadu wrote:
As former director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer has a legacy of fast trials and night courts rigging the system so that Black and brown people served longer sentences after the England-wide riots in 2011. Thus the current leader of the Labour Party is finding it difficult to appease those he marginalised both at that time and now, as the left of the party accuses him of purges.
Speaking after the release of the report, MP Dawn Butler wrote:
IN APRIL 2020 I was notified by party staff that I was mentioned in a leaked internal report from Labour Party HQ.
This leaked report would lead to an establishing of an independent investigation called the Forde Inquiry.
The leaked report revealed that senior staff in the Party HQ had apparently mocked me for raising issues of racism within the Party.
I often had a feeling that my concerns were not being taken seriously, but was afraid to say in case I was seen as paranoid. But seeing it written down in black and white, being mocked by senior members of staff within the party made me feel sad and let down.
The Forde Report, now published, is a thorough and considered piece of work that vindicates my stance: the party did and does have an ongoing problem.
As the Forde Report says: “there are serious problems of discrimination in the operations of the party”.
This is not easy to acknowledge. I understand the resistance, but it is vital to acknowledge if we are to improve and move forward as a Party. We need to be our best selves as we get ready to govern the country.
Butler wrote this in 2022. Sadly, it seems like nothing has changed since then.
Response
People reacted with revulsion to what Andrew Gwynne said:
Forde report exposed horrific sexism, anti-black racism and appalling treatment of Black women in the Labour Party. Abused, hated, gaslighted, targeted and ignored.
Under Keir Starmer’s leadership it was buried. No acknowledgment, action or apology.
Now this from Andrew Gwynne! pic.twitter.com/AJxKfBnic6
— Claudia Webbe (@ClaudiaWebbe) February 8, 2025
1/ Here is a print out of some of the Labour "Trigger Me Timbers" WhatsApp group that has seen Health Minister Andrew Gwynne sacked.
I wonder if fellow Labour MP Oliver Ryan will still have the whip by the morning? pic.twitter.com/czEKZCSwkO
— Alex Tiffin (@RespectIsVital) February 8, 2025
One user noted that the BBC seems to have stopped taking antisemitism seriously:
BBC News just covered the Andrew Gwynne sacking and, I shit you not, *did not mention* the anti-semitism.
— Wittgenstein's Slab (@frolix22) February 8, 2025
Novara Media’s Aaron Bastani found an issue with some reporting:
The FT’s George Parker refers to Andrew Gwynne as a ‘Corbyn ally’.
Just complete nonsense, essentially an untruth. Gwynne nominated Starmer in 2020 btw…
I’d bet a fair bit that line comes from a briefing by a Labour spokesperson, maybe off the record.
Fake, fake news. pic.twitter.com/RsUzcMtUOz
— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) February 8, 2025
Gwynne may be glad to know that many online deadbeats agree with him when it comes to the racism:
I'm kinda with him about dianne abbot though.
— Blue Fin Choona (@BlueFinChoona) February 9, 2025
One rule for the racists, another for the critics
On 7 February, Dudley News reported that Labour had “booted out” councillor Steve Edwards:
🚨 STARVER PURGES LABOUR COUNCILLOR FOR SPEAKING THE TRUTH! 🚨
Dudley Labour councillor Steve Edwards has been BOOTED from the party after calling out Keir Starmer for betraying the working class and lying to the British people.
🔴 "He has been treacherous to everybody. He is a… pic.twitter.com/VcYLxqmGie
— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) February 8, 2025
Following his expulsion, Edwards said:
I kind of expected it after I have been so vocal about Starmer, six or seven months before the general election, that he seemed to turn his back on the working class.
Cllr Steve Edwards, a founder of Black Country Day which champions the region’s heritage and working class roots
Cllr Steve Edwards, a founder of Black Country Day which champions the region’s heritage and working class rootsI was apprehensive about what he would be like when he became Prime Minister but he made various promises, that our heating bills would go down, pensioners would be looked after, school children would be fed, that there would be no tax rises but within weeks of being elected he completely changed his mind.
It filters from the top down and they are not listening to us from the bottom up, the working class are the wealth creators in this country, what Starmer is offering is no help at all.
He has been treacherous to everybody. He is a massive liar.
Before his expulsion, Edwards shared a letter on 3 February in which he accused Starmer of abandoning his election pledges:
Edwards has further criticised Starmer and his Labour Party since his sacking:
‘I was told I shouldn’t be trying to embarrass the government. I said it’s the government that’s embarrassing me!’
Councillor Steve Edwards on why he was expelled from the Labour Party over criticism of Keir Starmer.
🔒 Become a GB News Member: https://t.co/mNsRsGC8ef pic.twitter.com/OXMxOSfwlv
— GB News (@GBNEWS) February 8, 2025
Andrew Gwynne: Starmerism all over
Andrew Gwynne’s exposed comments are going to create problems for Labour because they crystallise what everyone already knows – that Starmer’s Labour actively despise the people of this country. It’s hard to imagine Starmer lasting a full term at this point, and if he goes, we can only hope that those speaking out against him are able to wrestle control of the party from these corporate sellouts.
Featured image via Chatham House – Flickr / Sophie Brown – Wikimedia
