Following the sacking of Andrew Gwynne as a health minister in the Labour party over sending offensive messages in a WhatsApp chat, a second Labour MP, Oliver Ryan, has apologised for comments he made in the same chat group. Ryan expressed his regret over not speaking out at the time and stated that his comments were “completely unacceptable”. At the time of the messages, Ryan was a councillor at Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and became an MP in July. Because of his comments in the chat, he has become subject to Labour’s investigation on the matter.
Although he accepts responsibility for not being more proactive in challenging the comments made in the WhatsApp group, Ryan did not see every message. He stated he would fully cooperate with Labour’s investigation. Gwynne was suspended from the party, and apologised last week for any offence caused by his comments, which he described as “badly misjudged.”
A government source has commented that the party’s chief whip will speak to Ryan, and all options are on the table. Ryan, who is 29 years old, acknowledged that some of the content in the chat group was “completely unacceptable,” and that he strongly condemns it. He also added that he realises that not speaking out at the time was a mistake.
Although the Labour party has suspended a number of members in the past for antisemitism, this is the first known example of a party member being suspended following offensive messages sent in a WhatsApp chat. The messages have been described as “abusive, vile” and “disrespectful,” raising further questions for the party on how to handle this type of conduct
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