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Angela Rayner was told nearly three years ago that the sacked minister Andrew Gwynne had made a “derogatory” joke about her on an offensive WhatsApp group, the Guardian has been told.
The deputy prime minister was told separately by two local councillors about the lewd message about her by Gwynne, her neighbouring MP in Greater Manchester.
One source said Rayner, then deputy leader of the opposition, was shown Gwynne’s vulgar post by a Labour councillor who was disgusted by it. Rayner is said to have replied: “I’ll deal with it in my own time.”
It is understood that Rayner has no recollection of being shown the image but does not dispute being told that people were making personal comments about her.
There is no suggestion that she knew about the specific racist or homophobic comments before they were published by the Mail on Sunday at the weekend.
A Labour party spokesperson 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 Guardian has learned that senior Labour figures were told several times by at least three councillors about the offensive messages, dating back to at least 2022.
Labour sources said no formal complaint was ever made about the WhatsApp group, called Trigger Me Timbers, and that concerns were raised as part of wider frustrations about Gwynne and his perceived meddling in the local party.
Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, was told by Gerald Cooney, the then-leader of Tameside council, that Gwynne had made unflattering remarks about Rayner but is not thought to have been given more detail.
However, the fact that the concerns about unprofessional remarks by a senior politician were escalated several times raises questions about whether Labour could have investigated sooner.
Gwynne was sacked as a health minister and suspended from the party along with the Burnley MP, Oliver Ryan, after racist, sexist and homophobic posts came to light on Saturday.
Keir Starmer dismissed him as a minister as soon as he became aware of the comments, it is understood.
Eleven local councillors have also been suspended, including Gwynne’s wife, Allison Gwynne, and his senior caseworker, Claire Reid, who sits on Labour’s national policy forum. Reid set up the Trigger Me Timbers group in January 2019.
Gwynne, the MP for Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester, shared a tweet about Rayner claiming for Apple AirPods on expenses which contained a lewd comment.
Rayner was told about the post by a local councillor in her constituency of Ashton-under-Lyne in 2022, it is understood.
The councillor is said to have told the MP that a “derogatory” comment had been made about her by Gwynne on a WhatsApp group of local party figures. The councillor said he was concerned the actions of Gwynne and those close to him “could potentially stop us getting into government”.
Rayner is said to have replied: “We will deal with this at the right time.”
A second councillor, who was outraged by the comments being made in the group, later showed the deputy leader the offensive post about her. Rayner is said to have replied: “I’ll deal with it in my own time.”
The Guardian revealed this week that two senior Labour party officials had been told about the offensive posts, with the first warning “well over a year ago” to Liam Didsbury, then the party’s regional director for north-west England.
In texts revealed this week, Gwynne said he hoped a 72-year-old who didn’t vote Labour “croaked it” before the next election, and that he had “positive visions” of a local cycling campaigner being “mown down” by a lorry, adding: “We couldn’t be that lucky!”
Gwynne, who was shadow communities secretary for three years under Corbyn’s leadership, also described someone as having a name that sounded “too militaristic and too Jewish”, asking if he was “in Mossad”, the Israeli intelligence agency.
The texts show that he described a constituent as “an illiterate retard” and a fellow councillor as a “fat middle aged useless thicket”.
Gwynne said on Saturday: “I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offence I’ve caused. I’ve served the Labour party all my life and it was a huge honour to be appointed a minister by Keir Starmer.
“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.”
