Labour suspends 11 councillors over WhatsApp group
A Labour Party cockade on an unidentified man wearing a black coat.
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Labour has suspended 11 councillors in Greater Manchester as part of an investigation into a WhatsApp group where offensive messages were shared.
The group, uncovered by the Mail on Sunday at the weekend, has already led to the suspension of two Labour MPs from the area.
Gorton and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne was suspended on Saturday after admitting making "seriously ill-judged" comments. He has also been sacked as Health Secretary.
Burnley MP Oliver Ryan was suspended on Monday, saying earlier he had made comments "which I deeply regret". Oliver Ryan suspended as Labour MP over WhatsApp messages
Health Secretary Andrew Gwynne has messages raided
The suspensions - from Tameside and Stockport councils - are thought to be linked to suspected membership of the group, called Trigger Me Timbers, which was set up to coordinate Labour's campaign in the area.
It is unclear why the councillors were suspended and Labour has not produced evidence that the councillors posted offensive messages.
They include Allison Gwynne, the wife of Andrew Gwynne, who is a councillor on Tameside Council, and Brenda Warrington, his former boss.
A Labour Party spokesman said: "As part of our investigation into the WhatsApp group, a group of councillors have been administratively suspended from the Labour Party.
"As soon as this group was brought to our attention, a full investigation was launched in accordance with Labour Party rules and procedures, and this process is ongoing." "Swift action will always be taken when individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as members of the Labour Party."
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MP suspensions
Andrew Gwynne said in a statement after his dismissal on Saturday night that he regretted his comments and apologised for "any offence caused".
In the messages first seen by the Mail on Sunday, he said he hoped a 72-year-old woman died soon after writing to her local councillor about bin collection.
The newspaper said Gwynne also joked about a voter being "mown down" by a lorry.
Ryan's messages were sent before he was elected as an MP but were reported in the Daily Mail on Sunday evening.
They appear to show Ryan mocking another Labour MP for his sexuality and denigrating the local Labour party MP. In his statement, Ryan said: "I have not seen all the messages but I accept responsibility for not being more proactive in challenging what has been said.
"I myself have made some comments which I deeply regret and would not have made today, and for that I sincerely apologise."
The BBC understands that the suspended Labour Party councillors are:
Cllr Claire Reid, Tameside Councillor
Cllr Jack Naylor, Tameside Councillor
Cllr George Newton, Tameside Councillor
Cllr Vincent Ricci, Tameside Councillor
Cllr Charlotte Martin, Tameside Councillor
Cllr Allison Gwynne, Tameside Councillor
Cllr George Jones, Tameside Councillor
Cllr Brenda Warrington, Tameside Councillor
Cllr Denise Ward, Tameside Councillor
Cllr David Sedgwick, Stockport Councillor
Cllr Holly McCormack, Stockport Councillor
The BBC has contacted the councillors to comments.
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