Greater Manchester Police has recorded a ‘non-crime hate incident’ (NCHI) against Andrew Gwynne, who was sacked from his post as junior health minister this week after comments he posted on a private WhatsApp group turned out to be not so private after all.
The group, named Trigger Me Timbers, comprised around 40 local councillors and politicians and appears to have been a chance for them to exchange deliberately tasteless, down-the-pub type jokes about constituents who were getting on their nerves.
Among the gags cracked by Mr Gwynne were one hoping that a pensioner complaining about bin collection would “have croaked” by the next council elections – and another that a man constantly asking for more cycle lanes would be “mown down” by a truck. He also made jokes about Diane Abbot and about Angela Rayner performing what newspapers like to call “a sex act”.
Messages from the closed group were leaked in what Mr Gwynne’s allies believe is an orchestrated campaign by political opponents inside the local party. According to one ally: “It’s clearly someone on the inside with a grudge against him. There’s a lot of bad blood up here.”
As a result, there’s now believed to be a cache of thousands of posts sent since 2019, including more than 200 pages of screenshots – all of which are being combed through by Labour officials.
Meanwhile, a second MP, Oliver Ryan has had the whip withdrawn for allegedly racist and sexist remarks made within the same group, as well as a “cruel remark” about a local lollipop man.
A party spokesman said: “As soon as this 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.
“Swift action will always be taken where individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members.”
The two suspended MPs have, of course, expressed their contrition in the traditional hostage-video way. In a statement on X, Mr Gwynne said: “I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offence I’ve caused… 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.” Mr Ryan has apologised for comments that “I deeply regret and would not make today”.
Mr Gwynne has not always been a friend of free speech. In 2018, he was part of a campaign to prevent the distinguished Conservative philosopher Sir Roger Scruton from being appointed chair of a government commission on beauty in architecture, declaring: “Nobody holding [Sir Roger’s] views has a place in modern democracy.”
However, the Free Speech Union (FSU) has long warned of the over-use of NCHIs and of the increased policing of closed WhatsApp groups – and thus of private as well as public utterances. Mr Gwynne’s case is clearly an example of both.
It also marks a troubling development in how NCHIs are being used. This is the first time the FSU has come across an NCHI being recorded as a result of a private WhatsApp conversation. According to the College of Policing, an NCHI is defined as: “An incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender status.”
Though NCHIs do not constitute criminal offences, they are logged by police and can appear in enhanced background checks, potentially damaging careers and reputations. Their vague and subjective nature means individuals can be flagged for entirely lawful speech, creating a chilling effect on open discussion.
More on this story here – and an interesting defence of bad-taste jokes on WhatsApp here.
