Civil war erupts as Labour activists in Gorton and Denton say party is ‘not willing to change’

Civil war has erupted within Labour as activists in Gorton and Denton accused the party of ‘not being willing to change’ during its by-election campaign. It comes as Labour suffered a bruising defeat in the race which saw it lose the seat to the Green Party despite having a 13,000-vote majority in the 2024 general election.

Labour supporters said the party’s by-election campaign was ‘undermined’ from the start because members of the Trigger me Timbers WhatsApp group were involved. Two Labour activists said they saw Tameside councillors Brenda Warrington, George Jones and Allison Gwynne join other party members at Labour’s Gorton and Denton candidate selection meeting on January 31, where Angeliki Stogia won the party’s backing to stand in the by-election.

The three councillors were part of the Trigger me Timbers WhatsApp scandal, which caused outrage and led to the then Gorton and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne being suspended from the Labour party before later stepping down on health grounds, sparking the by-election.

Comments from the group allegedly made offensive remarks towards constituents and figures within the Labour Party.

There was also a row over whether Andy Burnham should have been allowed to stand in the Gorton and Denton by-election after putting his name forward, but he was ultimately blocked by Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

The NEC is made up of several Labour MPs and party stakeholders, including the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, who was one of eight voting against Andy Burnham’s candidacy.

Allies of the Greater Manchester mayor and some residents around the region have since speculated whether Mr Burnham may have stood a better chance of winning the seat, in what turned out to be a by-election tarred by confrontation and tension.

But in the early hours of February 27, it was announced that Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia had lost in Gorton and Denton, with the Green Party’s Hannah Spencer becoming the constituency’s new MP.

Two Labour activists, who asked for their names not to be published, said the party’s campaign in the constituency was fractured when it became clear that members of the Trigger me Timbers scandal would be involved.

One Labour activist said: “I voted for Angeliki at the [selection] meeting, but the whole reason we are having this by-election is because of the Trigger Me Timbers WhatsApp group, and the people in the group were at the selection meeting for the new candidate, it just doesn’t make any sense.

“When I saw them I was gobsmacked. The selection process was organised by Brenda [Warrington], so this undermined the whole selection and campaign.

“There was vile racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism in that group, for them to be there at the selection, it’s just not acceptable.”

The three councillors and the Labour Party were contacted but have not commented.

At the time of Labour’s January 31 selection meeting for its candidate in Gorton and Denton, Brenda Warrington, George Jones and Allison Gwynne were involved in a standards investigation at Tameside council for alleged breaches of the council’s code of conduct.

The investigation was over their involvement in the Trigger me Timbers group.

But Councillor Brenda Warrington appeared to play an active role in the Gorton and Denton by-election campaign, posting a picture on her Facebook page on February 6 standing with Labour candidate Angeliki Stogia, among other social media posts.

A second Labour activist added: “I saw Brenda Warrington at the reception desk [at the January 31 selection meeting], she was signing in people, then I saw Allison Gwynne and George Jones and thought it’s bizarre.

“I thought about the standards process they’re going through and couldn’t believe it, I thought why has the Labour Party done that?

“I was already uncomfortable with Brenda being there. It undermines the whole campaign, it shows the Labour Party is not willing to change.”

An independent report in February found six councillors embroiled in the Trigger Me Timbers group were found to have breached Tameside council’s code of conduct, including Brenda Warrington, George Jones and Allison Gwynne.

During a standards sub committee hearing in Dukinfield Town Hall on February 3, Coun Warrington claimed she had been ‘vilified’ and that the complaints were politically motivated.

However, the verdict of the panel, chaired by Coun Joe Kitchen, found that councillor Warrington and the other five councillors from Denton had breached the council’s code of conduct.

The fallout of the Gorton and Denton by-election could cause a major political ripple both in Greater Manchester and across the country.

Labour previously held a firm grip on the seat, which includes the areas of Levenshulme and Burnage.

The Trigger me Timbers WhatsApp gr