Health Minister Andrew Gwynne has apologised for “badly misjudged” WhatsApp messages after he was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer.

The MP for Gorton and Denton was also suspended from the Labour Party after the Mail on Sunday reported he had sent a string of offensive and abusive messages, insulting constituents, fellow MPs and councillors.

A government spokesperson said: “The prime minister is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office and lead a government in the service of working people. He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case.”

Gwynne said on X that he understood the prime minister and Labour’s decision, and “while very sad to have been suspended, will support them in any way I can”.

A Labour spokesperson said Gwynne has been “administratively suspended” as a party member as it investigates “comments made in this WhatsApp group in line with the Labour Party’s rules and procedures”.

“Swift action will be taken if individuals are found to have breached the high standards expected of them as Labour Party members,” the spokesperson added.

In one instance reported by the Mail on Sunday, Gwynne allegedly said he hoped a 72-year-old woman would soon be dead, after she wrote to a local councillor about bin collections.

The councillor is said to have shared the woman’s letter in a WhatsApp group containing Labour figures, which is where Gwynne wrote his response.