The MP for Burnley said he "deeply regrets" comments he made in a WhatsApp group created by Andrew Gwynne - who was sacked as a health minister over the weekend.

A second Labour MP has been suspended from the party for comments made in a WhatsApp group.

The Labour Party confirmed Oliver Ryan has had the whip removed, meaning he will now sit as an independent MP in the Commons.

The 29-year-old Burnley MP apologised on Sunday and said he “deeply regrets” the comments he made, which a government source said were “unacceptable and deeply disappointing”.

According to the Daily Mail, Mr Ryan joked about a fellow Labour MP being gay.

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Meanwhile, three Labour councillors caught up in the scandal have “stepped away” from their duties on Tameside Council.

Councillors Jack Naylor, Claire Reid, and George Newton - who were members of the WhatsApp group - are also being investigated by the Labour Party.

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Mr Gwynne is the latest MP to lose his position on the frontbench after ex-treasury minister Tulip Siddiq quit last month and Louise Haigh resigned as transport minister in November.