These are the 11 Greater Manchester councillors suspended amid the Labour WhatsApp scandal.

The local politicans – in Tameside and Stockport – were told on Tuesday 11th February their party membership has been suspended while an investigation takes place into the 'Trigger Me Timbers' group.

Leaked messages surfaced last weekend, leading to Gorton and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne being sacked as a junior health minister and suspended from the party.

Burnley MP Oliver Ryan – a former Tameside councillor who was a member of the group – was later suspended. Denton South councillors Claire Reid, Jack Naylor and George Newton stepped down from cabinet positions at Tameside council. They are among 11 Greater Manchester councillors to have now been suspended by Labour.

Mr Gwynne is alleged to have made anti-Semitic slights and joked about a Stockport pensioner dying before an election after she wrote about bin collections.

In a statement shared on X after the claims, Mr Gwynne said: "I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offense I've caused."

A source inside the group said there were up to 20 members who used it mainly to discuss 'mundane' topics related to political campaigning.

While some of the messages were 'unacceptable', they said 'most of it was humour between friends' and not meant in a hurtful way.

"This was not something that happened a lot, the reality was the group was just mundane everyday chat between friends who are politicians," the source said.

"There was some stuff that was mocking people, but it was nothing personal. Some of the stuff said was over the top, people were a bit giddy and got carried away.

"Most of it was humour between friends. Yes, some of it was unacceptable, but it's important that the overall context is shared."

A Labour 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.

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

The following councillors have been suspended from the Labour Party, the LDRS understands:

• Councillor Claire Reid, Tameside
• Councillor Jack Naylor, Tameside
• Councillor George Newton, Tameside
• Councillor Vincent Ricci, Tameside
• Councillor Charlotte Martin, Tameside
• Councillor Allison Gwynne, Tameside
• Councillor George Jones, Tameside
• Councillor Brenda Warrington, Tameside
• Councillor Denise Ward, Tameside
• Councillor David Sedgwick, Stockport
• Councillor Holly McCormack, Stockport

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