LONDON – A British junior minister has been sacked by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and suspended from the governing Labour Party over WhatsApp messages that the minister said were “badly misjudged.”
Andrew Gwynne, who was a health minister, apologizes on X following a report by the Mail on Sunday that he had sent WhatsApp messages insulting constituents and other members of parliament. There were antisemitic posts among the messages.
“I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologize for any offense I’ve caused,” he says. “I entirely understand the decisions the PM (prime minister) and the party have taken and, while very sad to have been suspended, will support them in any way I can.”
A government spokesperson says Starmer is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, February 8, 2025
