Priest insulted by Andrew Gwynne in WhatsApp group calls for him to resign

A serving Anglican priest has called for Andrew Gwynne to resign after new WhatsApp messages emerged in which the member of parliament suggested she should be “burned on a bonfire”.

She described the chat involving two Labour MPs, as well as several other Labour party members, as “reminiscent of playground bullying and name-calling”.

The vicar is mentioned more than 100 times in the chat, with the group, which also includes several sitting councillors from two local authorities, making repeated jibes about her weight.

“Imagine [her] in a bike,” one says.

“Haven’t you seen her pootling round Reddish. She thinks she’s a country vicar in the genteel shires, wicker basket and everything,” another member replies.

“Fat [vicar] needs a more intense climb than Gorton Road,” the first councillor responds.

In other messages she is referred to as a “massive bitch” and “the Laziest Vicar of 2018 Award Winner.”

In a shocking exchange of messages, the group talk about seeking “retribution” against the priest, who was also a Labour party member.

The priest, who asked not to be identified further, said: “When the story of Andrew Gwynne’s WhatsApp group ‘Trigger Me timbers’ first broke, I was surprised they would be that foolish, but not entirely shocked at the content.

“I fully expected that I would be one of the people they discussed in such derogatory terms, although it is painful to read in a national newspaper. My feelings aside, this has upset my family and friends enormously.”

The priest said she wanted to speak out because while much of the focus has been on the conduct of the politicians involved, “we have heard little of the impact on the individuals mentioned and the local community.

“There is a deep sense of hurt and betrayal among the community, that people they supported and trusted would speak about them in such a denigrating manner,” she said.

“I have spoken with some of those also mentioned, who like me feel hurt and humiliated, who have lost trust in those that were supposed to represent them.

“We have been bullied, mocked and personally insulted in the most horrendous language, including wishing the death of a pensioner and an awful violent death on a cyclist.

“These are people known to me who are generous with their time, who are decent, kind people who have supported Andrew.”

Many of the “nasty degrading comments” that Gwynne had made towards constituents, the priest said, were directed towards “party members who worked hard to get Andrew elected, who were on his side”.

Among the tens of thousands of messages shared by the group, Gwynne joked about a cycling campaigner being “mown down” by a lorry while riding his bike, adding: “We couldn’t be that lucky!”

The MP also said he hoped a pensioner who had not voted Labour would have “croaked it” before an election, after she wrote to her local councillor seeking help with bin collections.

The cyclist previously said he was “shocked and upset” by the MP’s comments, adding “and not just myself [but] my family, my partner, my children have been profoundly distressed by this.”

The priest said that Gwynne should stand down as a member of parliament, saying that his position was now “untenable”.

“How can he possibly represent people that he despises, people that he has dehumanised?” she said. “Because what we say and think in private does impact on what we think and do in public.”

“The argument may be that this was a private group, but it is naive to imagine that the attitudes displayed didn’t impact on the group’s dealings with their constituents,” she added.

“This is also a matter of integrity. How can you serve the community if you are insulting them to your friends in private?”

A Labour party spokesperson said: “As part of our WhatsApp group investigation, a group of councillors have been administratively suspended from the Labour party.