The Sacking of Andrew Gwynne

News that Andrew Gwynne's been done for sending sexist and racist WhatsApp messages came as a surprise for those who didn't know him. It wasn't long ago that he was affecting a Mr Nice persona on social media, and that the strongest expletive he'd ever use would be "crumbs". Unfortunately for him, he was caught red-handed making fruitier comments by the Mail on Sunday. These included looking forward to the death of a constituent complaining about her bins, dropping the F bomb, messaging antisemitic banter, and bad mouthing a local Tory council leader. And because this is the Labour Party, racist comments about Diane Abbott and sexist comments about Angela Rayner were in there too. Rightly, Gwynne has been given the heave-ho pending an investigation that will ... slap him on the wrist and readmit him because his politics are the right politics. The obsequious apology won't harm Gwynne's chances either.

Once again, the culture uncovered by the Forde report is open for all to see. And the reaction is a performative recoil of disgust by the party's establishment. Performative because they well know this is the culture they encourage, preside over, and participate in. Racism, sexism, callous attitudes, cynical language, this is the meat and gristle of informal Labour Party communication. And it has always been thus, though what was once said behind people's backs is now written down and shared among hundreds of informal groups of chummy insiders. Unhappily for Keir Starmer and the Labour right, all it takes is for some local notable or a disgruntled MP to share these contents with the likes of the Mail for more WhatsApp scandals to erupt. The more senior the messenger, the more juicier. Savvy MPs know not to do this, but when the parliamentary party is stuffed with nodding donkeys whose inflated self-opinion is in inverse proportion to their lack of nous there are plenty of liabilities for the right wing press to swoop on.

And this is a headache for party management. The forced resignation of Louise Haigh, ostensibly over a conviction from years ago that the leadership already knew about lowered the bar for accountability and ministerial resignations and sackings. IF, for instance, another round of freebie gate visited British politics and a minister was caught improperly troughing on corporate "hospitality", Starmer would be under real pressure to sack them. Or a trusted lieutenant was caught in a spotlight on other improper conduct, because the Prime Minister lacks a stock of political capital very little can be expended to defend them. Especially with polling in the doldrums and a range of backbenchers jostling to make their mark as ministers sooner rather than later. Perhaps more worryingly for Starmer, the press now know they can bring pressure to bear and cause him to act, meaning they're likely to sit on further revelations until they become strategically useful.

The government must be hoping more Gwynne-style incidents aren't going to surface. Unfortunately for them, considering how the party's culture is riddled with a hierarchy of racism and a preponderance of mouthy blow hards, chances it won't happen again are slight to non-existent.

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