Second Labour MP suspended from party over WhatsApp messages

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A second Labour MP has been suspended from the parliamentary party over offensive comments shared on a WhatsApp group, as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attempts to draw a line under the affair.

Oliver Ryan, the 29-year-old MP for Burnley, joined Andrew Gwynne, former health minister, in being suspended following a formal Labour investigation into the WhatsApp messages.

Ryan was given the news at a meeting on Monday afternoon with government chief whip Sir Alan Campbell, according to people briefed on the discussion.

“As soon as this WhatsApp group was brought to our attention, a thorough investigation was immediately launched and this process is ongoing in line with the Labour party’s rules and procedures,” a Labour spokesman said.

“Swift action will always be taken where individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour party members.”

Ryan said on Sunday that comments he made in the WhatsApp group “were completely unacceptable”.

Ryan said he regretted “not speaking out at the time” about the comments shared on the group, in which Gwynne made a string of derogatory statements about constituents and fellow MPs.

This is a developing story