Ex-Labour MP is STRIPPED of his coveted Parliamentary pass after he is found to have breached Commons rules over 'racist and homophobic' WhatsApp messages

By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT Published: 12:08, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 12:09, 14 July 2026 A former Labour MP is set to lose his privileged access to Parliament after being found to have breached rules over offensive WhatsApp messages. The House of Commons Committee on Standards has recommended that Andrew Gwynne be stripped of his coveted security pass for the parliamentary estate. In a new report published on Tuesday, the committee said Mr Gwynne had caused 'significant damage to the reputation and integrity' of the Commons while an MP. This was due to his participation in a WhatsApp group, called 'Trigger Me Timbers', which contained 'homophobic, racist, ableist, or other discriminatory language'. Mr Gwynne, a former health minister, was MP for Gorton and Denton before his resignation from the Commons in January on medical grounds. The Daily Mail revealed in April how he was among nearly 500 former MPs to hold a coveted security pass for the parliamentary estate. This was despite the ongoing sleaze probe into Mr Gwynne's membership of the WhatsApp group. The Committee on Standards has now ruled that Mr Gwynne should lose the pass, while also recommending a change to the rules on handing passes to former MPs. The House of Commons Committee on Standards has recommended that former Labour MP Andrew Gwynne be stripped of his coveted security pass for the parliamentary estate In its 50-page report about Mr Gwynne's actions, the committee concluded the 52-year-old had breached the Commons code of conduct. This was due to 'the nature and volume of the messages he wrote; the discriminatory nature of some messages; and his active participation and absence of challenge in a group in which others posted similar messages'. The committee recommended that Mr Gwynne's parliamentary pass 'be revoked with immediate effect', while - if he had still been an MP - the committee said it would have 'been minded to recommend a period of suspension' from the Commons. 'We regret that Mr Gwynne has been provided with a former Member’s pass since his departure from the House on 23 January and before the conclusion of this inquiry,' the committee's report added. 'We intend to draw this to the attention of Mr Speaker and of the Administration Committee and to seek a change to the rules to prevent a Member who resigns from the House while under investigation from being provided with a pass before that investigation has been concluded.' The committee found Mr Gwynne had 'engaged in racist, sexist and homophobic behaviour' through his membership of the WhatsApp group, with the 'repeated nature of the messages over a period of time' indicating 'a pattern of behaviour'. The report added that Mr Gwynne had acknowledged his language was 'inappropriate and unacceptable' and expressed remorse in written evidence to the committee. 'Mr Gwynne has written to all those about whom he wrote messages covered in this inquiry and hopes to apologise in person in due course,' it added. A probe into whether Mr Gwynne's actions caused 'significant damage to the reputation of the House' began in February last year. It came after Mr Gwynne said he regretted making 'badly misjudged' comments in the WhatsApp group with Labour figures based around Manchester. Mr Gwynne went on to quit the Commons less than a year later on health grounds, with his departure from Parliament said to have come after he tied up an exit package worth around £1million. At the time, Commons sources suggested the deal would see Mr Gwynne paid up until pension age, at which point he would receive a full Parliamentary pension. When he quit frontline politics earlier this year, Mr Gwynne said he had 'suffered significant ill-health over most of the 21 years I've served as an MP'. He added this had been 'greatly exacerbated by the impact of last year's events' and shared a note from his GP to the Commons authorities that stated he could not 'safely to return to work as an MP'. Former MPs granted security passes are able to roam the parliamentary estate unescorted, have meetings and use the subsidised bars and restaurants within certain hours. The privileged parliamentary passes are controversial due to concerns about the potential for lobbying of former colleagues, even though this is barred under Commons rules. The number of former member passes handed out by Commons authorities has rocketed in recent years, and most notably after the 2024 general election, despite efforts to tighten eligibility. There are currently 463 former MPs who have a parliamentary security pass, compared to just 306 former MPs who held passes in January 2023. In February 2023, former Labour MP Chris Williamson had his parliamentary pass suspended after concerns were raised about his work for Iranian state TV. As revealed by the Daily Mail, the House of Commons' Administration Committee reconsidered Mr Williamson's access rights due to his role as a host on PressTV. The former shadow minister, a staunch ally of ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, was MP for Derby North between 2017 and 2019. Following Mr Gwynne's resignation from the Commons, Andy Burnham attempted to stand as Labour's candidate in a by-election to replace him as Gorton and Denton MP. But Mr Burnham was blocked from doing so by allies of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the Green Party going on to win the parliamentary contest in February. Mr Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor, went on to successfully contest the Makerfield by-election last month and is set to replace Sir Keir in Downing Street next week.