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Andrew Gwynne | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2020 | |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention | |
| In office 9 July 2024 – 8 February 2025 | |
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Andrea Leadsom |
| Succeeded by | Ashley Dalton |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government | |
| In office 14 June 2017 – 6 April 2020 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Roberta Blackman-Woods |
| Succeeded by | Steve Reed |
| Labour Party Co-National Campaign Coordinator | |
| In office 10 February 2017 – 5 April 2020 Serving with Ian Lavery | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Jon Trickett |
| Succeeded by | Angela Rayner |
| Shadow Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 7 October 2016 – 14 June 2017 | |
| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Ashworth |
| Succeeded by | Ian Lavery |
| Member of Parliament forGorton and Denton Denton and Reddish (2005–2024) | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 23 January 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Bennett |
| Succeeded by | TBD |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andrew John Gwynne (1974-06-04)4 June 1974 (age 51) Manchester, England |
| Party | Labour and Co-operative (suspended) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent |
|
| Education | Egerton Park Community High School Tameside College |
| Alma mater | Wrexham Glyndŵr University University of Salford (BA) |
| Website | Official website |
Other offices
| |
Andrew John Gwynne (born 4 June 1974) is a British politician who wasMember of Parliament (MP) forGorton and Denton, previouslyDenton and Reddish, from2005 until hisresignation in 2026. He was theParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention from 2024 until February 2025, when he was dismissed and had his Labour membership suspended because of offensive messages he had written onWhatsApp.[1]
In January 2026, Gwynne stood down as an MP due to ill health. He served in theshadow cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn asShadow Minister without Portfolio from 2016 to 2017. He was Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government andLabour Party Co-National Campaign Coordinator from 2017 to 2020. In 2023, he became the President ofFriends of Real Lancashire, a group dedicated to promoting and preserving the heritage and identity of the historic county ofLancashire, following the death of the group's founder.[2]
Gwynne was born on 4 June 1974 atSaint Mary's Hospital inManchester.[3] He is the son of sports commentator and reporterJohn Gwynne.[4] He was educated atEgerton Park Community High School inDenton,Tameside College of Technology inAshton-under-Lyne,North East Wales Institute of Higher Education inWrexham from 1992 to 1995 and theUniversity of Salford from 1995 to 1998, earning aBA in Politics and Contemporary History.[5]
Gwynne became a member of theLabour Party in 1992.[6] He was elected to representDenton West onTameside Council at the1996 local elections,[7] becoming the youngest councillor in England aged 21.[8] He was re-elected to the Council in2000 and2004.[7] Gwynne worked for theMember of Parliament forDenton and Reddish,Andrew Bennett, from 2001 to 2005.[9]
At the2005 UK general election, Gwynne was elected to Parliament asLabour MP forDenton and Reddish with 57.4% of the vote and a majority of 13,498.[10] He was appointed to the House of Commons Procedure Committee in June 2005 and, on 10 November 2005, was promoted to become aParliamentary private secretary (PPS) toPatricia Scotland, as Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management at theHome Office.[11] Between July 2007 and June 2009, he served as theParliamentary private secretary to theHome Secretary,Jacqui Smith.[11] In June 2009, he becameParliamentary Private Secretary to theSecretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, thenEd Balls.[11]
At the2010 UK general election, Gwynne was re-elected as MP for Denton and Reddish with a decreased vote share of 51% and a decreased majority of 9,831.[12][13] In October 2010, Gwynne became a shadow transport minister with responsibility forpassenger transport. In the Opposition front bench reshuffle of October 2011, he was appointed to the shadow health team byEd Miliband.[11]
At the2015 UK general election, Gwynne was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 50.8% and an increased majority of 10,511.[14][15] Gwynne took a leading role in November 2015 in organising Labour in theOldham West and Royton by-election, which took place as a result of the death ofMichael Meacher.[16] Gwynne said he hoped that "I can do the memory of Michael Meacher proud by helping to return a Labour MP for the seat".[17] The Labour candidateJim McMahon held the seat with a 10,000-plus majority and increased the party's share of the vote.[18]
In January 2017, Gwynne was appointed to lead Labour's campaign for theCopeland by-election following the resignation ofJamie Reed.[19] Gwynne focused the campaign on plans by the Conservatives to cut services at West Cumberland Hospital and to move some hospital facilities, including maternity services, to Carlisle, 40 miles away.[20] In February 2017, Gwynne was appointed as the Labour Party's Co-National Campaign Coordinator. He shared this post withIan Lavery.[21] During the2017 UK general election campaign, Gwynne clashed withForeign SecretaryBoris Johnson onSky News, calling Johnson a "pillock" in a debate overBrexit policy.[22]
At thesnap election in June 2017, Gwynne was again re-elected, with an increased vote share of 63.5% and an increased majority of 14,077.[23] Following the election, Gwynne retained his role as the Labour Party's Co-National Campaign Coordinator, and was promoted to become Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, replacingGrahame Morris.[24] In April 2018, Gwynne was named as a member of aFacebook group where individuals had sharedanti-Semitic material. When a reporter confronted him about the group, Gwynne stated that he had been added to it without his permission.[25]
At the2019 UK general election, Gwynne was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 50.1% and a decreased majority of 6,175.[26][27] In April 2020, one day afterKeir Starmer was elected as the new Labour leader, Gwynne resigned from his position as Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary.[28] In theNovember 2021 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, he returned to his former role as Shadow Minister for Public Health.[29][30] In the2023 British shadow cabinet reshuffle, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Social Care.[31]
Due to the2023 review of Westminster constituencies, Gwynne's constituency of Denton and Reddish was abolished, and replaced withGorton and Denton. At the2024 general election, Gwynne was elected to Parliament as MP for Gorton and Denton with 50.8% of the vote and a majority of 13,413.[32] After the election, Gwynne was named as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention in theDepartment of Health and Social Care.[33]
On 8 February 2025, Gwynne was dismissed from the government as health minister and suspended from the Labour Party for offensive comments he had posted in aWhatsApp group used by Manchester Labour politicians.[34] In these messages, Gwynne mockingly suggested a reply to a constituent who had complained about a bin collection: "Dear resident, Fuck your bins. I'm re-elected and without your vote. Screw you. PS: Hopefully you'll have croaked it by the all-outs".[35] Gwynne wrote in the group thatDiane Abbott's appearance as the first black woman atPrime Minister's Questions was a "joke" forBlack History Month, and retweeted a tweet making sexualised comments about fellow Labour MPAngela Rayner.[36] Gwynne wrote that American psychologistMarshall Rosenberg's name "sounds too militaristic and too Jewish", and asked if Rosenberg was a member ofIsrael's intelligence service,Mossad.[37][35]
In response, Gwynne wrote: "I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offense I've caused."[38] He added: "I entirely understand the decisions the PM and the party have taken and, while very sad to have been suspended, will support them in any way I can."[39] TheParliamentary Commissioner for Standards started an inquiry on 18 February into whether Gwynne's actions had caused "significant damage to the reputation of the house as a whole, or of its members generally".[40] A second Labour MP,Oliver Ryan, was also involved in the scandal and investigated.[41]
It is believed that Gwynne applied for medical retirement from the MPs' pension fund in 2025, but decided not to proceed with the claim. It was suggested that this was related to an agreement made withAndy Burnham that he would stand down to make way for Burnham in Gorton and Denton, although Burnham's allies have denied this,[42] as has Gwynne.[43] Gwynne ultimately announced his resignation on the grounds of ill health on 22 January 2026. The next day, he was madeCrown Steward of the Manor of Northstead by theChancellor of the Exchequer, a traditional way for MPs to resign. In his resignation statement, he published medical advice from hisGP that led to his resignation.[44] Aby-election will be held to fill the seat on 26 February 2026.[45]
Gwynne married Allison Dennis, who serves as aTameside Councillor forDenton North East, on 28 March 2003 atSt Anne's Church inDenton.[46][47][48] The couple have three children: sons James (born 1997) and William (born 2000) and daughter Maisie (born 2001).[49][50][51] Gwynne and his wife arekinship carers for their grandson Lyle (born 2019), who contractedrespiratory syncytial virus as an infant and spent two weeks in aneonatal intensive care unit.[52][53]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forDenton and Reddish 2005–2024 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forGorton and Denton 2024–2026 | Vacant |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Shadow Minister without Portfolio 2016–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government 2017–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention 2024–2025 | Succeeded by |
