It has emerged that Burnley MP Oliver Ryan is one of the other members of the WhatsApp group that brought down minister Andrew Gwynne. In an 'apology' issued through his social media channels, Ryan has sought to limit the damage to himself. Unlike Gwynne, he has not deleted his Facebook page, but has blocked users from commenting on his 'apology'.
Ryan deploys two lines of defence in the opening line of his statement, arguing that he left the group three years ago (before he became an MP) and sows another by pointing out that the group was created by his then employer (Gwynne). Ryan is said to have mocked Labour colleagues in the group, including a suggestion that a serving Labour MP is secretly gay.
Mr Ryan doesn't 'regret' not speaking out, he regrets being found out.
Ryan has not been suspended as yet, but Labour's chief whip is due to meet with him today and 'all options' are on the table. Ryan is a new MP, having gained Burnley from the Conservatives last July. At 29, he is one of Labour's youngest MPs, and if there's worse to come from his WhatsApp exploits then he could be one of the shortest-serving Labour MPs...
So basically He joined in and actively added content to the page but doesn't want you make a big deal of it....
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