Labour will punish any other MP or minister caught up in the Andrew Gwynne WhatsApp group scandal, a senior official has told Sky News.
The health minister was sacked over leaked comments he had posted on a group chat.
He reportedly made antisemitic comments and “joked” about a pensioner constituent, saying he hoped she died before the next election, according to the Mail on Sunday.
Politics latest: Minister says Andrew Gwynne’s comments ‘unacceptable’
Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, housing minister Matthew Pennycook described the remarks as “unacceptable”.
“I don’t know, personally, what other people on that WhatsApp conversation have said… I’ve being very clear, there’s an investigation taking place into the whole incident.
“What the public can take from the way the prime minister has acted decisively in this case to dismiss Andrew Gwynne is that if any other Labour MP or minister falls short he will act to uphold the highest standards in public office.”
File pic: PA
When asked about the scandal, Conservative Alex Burghart, a shadow Cabinet Office minister, told Phillips: “That really does suggest that just beneath the surface, between all the sort of the window dressing that Keir Starmer has done, that with senior Labour politicians, there may still be a very serious problem with antisemitism.
“And I hope that the prime minister will get to grips with that immediately.”
He added: “That was a big WhatsApp group with a lot of other Labour members on.
“Did any of them step in at the time? Did any of them call that out?
“That is a very serious remark, and if the prime minister doesn’t take action against everyone in that group very quickly, we know that there is still a problem in the Labour Party.”
Andrew Gwynne campaign placards on the floor outside his house after he was sacked as a minister
On Saturday, a Labour spokesperson confirmed Mr Gwynne had been suspended as a member of the Labour Party.
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Following the decision by Labour, Mr Gwynne said he deeply regretted his “badly misjudged comments” and apologised for any offence 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.”
Opinion polls show Labour’s popularity has fallen since its landslide victory last year, with the party to struggling to maintain support as its efforts to boost economic growth have failed to get off the ground.
Mr Gwynne is just the latest minister to resign with ex-treasury minister Tulip Siddiq quitting last month and Louise Haigh stepping aside as transport minister in November.