St George's Day campaigners call on MP to quit

Dozens of campaigners gathered outside Denton Town Hall and on Denton's civic square early this evening in a renewed call for shamed MP Andrew Gwynne to quit his job.

Protesters staged the St George’s Day rally outside the MP’s constituency office at the town hall as part of a public rallying call.

They also called on local councillors caught up in the ‘TriggerMeTimbers’ WhatsApp scandal to step down too and allow the town to move on.

Denton community stalwart Tony Moran (pictured) had attempted to organise a public meeting to gauge residents’ thoughts and joined the campaigners.

He told the Reporter: “Enough is enough. The MP and councillors involved in this group have brought national shame on the good name of Denton and its people. 

“I couldn’t believe the comments they made in the group when I first read them. These were people we elected and looked to as our community leaders, to represent us locally and nationally. 

“There is never going to be any coming back from it for any of them, residents will never forgive them. A line needs to be drawn. They must all do the right thing and just go.”

Offensive messages from the WhatsApp group ‘TriggerMeTimbers’ were leaked to the national press and sparked outrage amongst the public.

The MP was stripped of his health ministerial role and suspended from the Labour Party, but retains the position of constituency MP in an independent capacity.

Ten Labour borough councillors were also suspended from the party pending the internal investigation, but remain as serving councillors, sitting as independents.

Tony added that an ongoing internal investigation by the Labour Party into the WhatsApp group scandal was ‘taking too long’ and urged the process be sped up.

“They are dragging their feet, probably because of the national picture as well as the local one. Tameside is in a complete mess,” he added.

After a flurry of national headlines, news surrounding the scandal has been quieter, although voices online calling for the shamed group members of the group to quit are far louder.

The MP and his councillor wife have kept a low profile since the scandal broke, but there were reports that when the MP was spotted at Crown Point North recently, he was recognised and booed away by members of the public.

Tony says residents continually ask him what is happening telling him those involved in the group should all quit their roles. He is not a councillor and states he has no wish to become one, but because he is a recognisable community figure involved with many groups locally, people look to him for answers.

“I have no political motives. I don’t want to be a councillor, but as someone who cares about the town passionately and its people, it’s time we were allowed to move on,” he says.

He explained he had attempted to organise a community gathering at the town’s Festival Hall - a council-run venue - to discuss the matter in a public setting.

However, a spokesperson for the council said they advised Robertsons, the council’s facilities management providers, to decline the booking ‘because of the risk of potential disruption’.

Tony accused the council of ‘denying democracy’.

In Burnley, MP Oliver Ryan, a former Audenshaw councillor who was also a member and posted in the WhatsApp group, has also come under fire. The local council there condemned his actions only last week.

He apologised for his involvement but was also suspended from the Labour Party pending the continued investigation.