Standards investigation finds six councillors breached code over ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp group

The investigation by Linda Comstive followed a series of complaints to the council about the conduct of councillors who participated in the group chat named ‘Trigger me Timbers’ (TMT).

Tameside Council’s Standards Sub-Committee is due to consider the investigator’s full report and determine the allegations at a meeting on Monday (2 February).

The leak revealed that almost 40,000 messages were exchanged in the group between January 2019 and April 2022. Participants included six Labour councillors: Brenda Warrington, Allison Gwynne, George Newton, Claire Reid, Jack Naylor and George Jones.

The investigator concluded that the councillors were acting in their official capacity by sending messages in the group, as some of the correspondence concerned council business and took place during council meetings.

Comstive also stated that the “fact that the communication is by WhatsApp does not mean it cannot be investigated under the Code”, adding: “The Code applies when a councillor is engaging in media activity including the use of social media.”

In addition, the report said that while some councillors claimed the conversations were private, the councillors were not necessarily acting outside of their capacity as council members.

It continued: “Council proceedings are often carried out in private as exempt business, but there is always the potential for it to get in the public domain, including by leaks.

“TMT was leaked into the public domain in February 2025 and there is public interest in it because of its offensive content and who was involved in it.”

Among the most serious findings, the report said Cllr George Newton made “several remarks” in the group chat “that a reasonable person would find racist” towards Navendu Mishra MP.

It stated that Cllr Newton also “appeared to joke about the MP’s accent or use of English”, and that some messages he sent “could be considered discriminatory on grounds of race against members of the public”.

The investigator concluded that Cllr Newton breached four paragraphs of the code of conduct, relating to a failure to treat councillors and members of the public with respect, bullying, failure to promote equality, and conduct bringing the council into disrepute.

When interviewed by the investigator, Newton said: “Looking at it now, I’d admit it was childish behaviour.”

This was in reference to some of the messages he had sent. However, he maintained that the comments were made in a "private conversation on a private messaging platform, that were maliciously leaked to the media".

According to a report from The Guardian, it is understood that Newton intends to apologise for the messages but will dispute the investigator’s interpretation of the private texts in a group where there was “obviously a power dynamic at play”.

The investigation into Cllr Jack Naylor meanwhile found that he had breached four aspects of the code.

Two of the breaches in Cllr Naylor’s case stemmed from what the report described as an “antisemitic” joke shared in the group chat.

The Guardian has reported that Cllr Naylor is set to tell councillors his comment was “ill-judged and inappropriate” but strongly contests any accusation of antisemitism.

In a written statement, he offered a “full and unequivocal” apology and added: “There is no justification for my involvement, irrespective of any inexperience – I take full responsibility for my actions; and for any offence caused, regardless of my intent, I am truly sorry.”

The report found that Cllr Claire Reid breached three paragraphs of the code, having “bullied a member of the Labour Party”, failed to “show respect to various members of the public”, and behaved in a way that could reasonably be regarded as bringing the council into disrepute.

Cllr Reid, who created the group chat, responded to the investigator's questions by email.

When asked about the derogatory chats, she stated that the "vast majority" of her contributions to the group involved "organising for meetings, ensuring we have the numbers for votes and making sure the rules are correctly applied".

The investigator highlighted some messages sent by Reid, which included swear words and insults aimed at individuals.

Reid told the investigator that some of the messages were in response to "the hideous abuse I received at the hands of these members", adding that she "offloaded in a private forum".

All six councillors under investigation were found to have breached provisions of the code relating to bringing the council into disrepute and treating other councillors and members of the public with respect.

The report also found that Cllr Brenda Warrington breached the code by misusing council resources after using a council-owned mobile phone, paid for with public funds, to participate in the group chat.

“TMT included chats on Council business and for political purposes; the latter is misuse of council resources,” the report said.

Cllr Warrington told the investigation that it "was never my intention to offend anyone, and I apologise for any comments I may have made in the chat that has resulted in upset".

However, she said that the "responsibility for the offence lies with those persons who, for malicious reasons chose to leak the chat to the press".

In a statement given to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Warrington said she would like to "offer apology to anyone who genuinely feels offended, hurt or upset by any comment that I have made in the private chat.

“It was never the intention that people be offended, hurt or upset. I do have a range of questions that I will be seeking to raise at the hearing of the Standards Sub Committee which will include the scope of the investigation, the process and also the cost, and so at this stage I do not wish to comment further until the hearing."

The investigator concluded that Cllr Allison Gwynne - in addition to breaching the requirements to treat other councillors and members of the public with respect, and not conduct herself in a manner, which could reasonably be regarded as bringing her office or the council into disrepute - failed to cooperate with the code of conduct investigation.

Cllr Gwynne did not respond to the investigation, but has been approached for comment.

Cllr Jones, who was 18 years old when he first joined the chat, told the investigator that "in hindsight I wish I had not been involved and sincerely apologise".

He added: "I put it down to my youth and lack of experience. I am truly sorry and genuinely mean all that I have said about how it makes me feel. It has been a terrible few months. I am very sorry for everything, and I have more experience now and like to think I would now behave totally differently."

The investigator said: "In my opinion, Cllr GJ is genuinely sorry for his chats and participation in the TMT and the upset it has caused."

All six councillors have been approached for comment.

Adam Carey