09
Feb
Feb
UK PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER SACKS LABOUR PARTY MINISTER OVER ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS
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Nicolas Adekeye / 4 weeks
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- 1 min read
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sacked Labour Party lawmaker Andrew Gwynne as a junior health minister after he made anti-Semitic remarks in a WhatsApp group. Gwynne has also been suspended from the Labour Party. Gwynne expressed regret over his comments, saying “I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offence I’ve caused” ¹. He added, “I entirely understand the decisions the PM and the party have taken.” According to the Mail on Sunday, Gwynne posted messages in a WhatsApp group with over a dozen Labour councillors, party officials, and at least one other MP, making anti-Semitic slights and joking about a constituent being “mown down” by a truck. A government spokesperson stated, “The Prime Minister is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office and lead a government in the service of working people”. The spokesperson added, “He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case.” This incident marks the latest challenge for Starmer’s government, which has faced several setbacks despite its landslide election victory in July 2024. In November, Louise Haigh resigned as transport secretary after revelations of a prior criminal offence.