https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaG07sTJENxyeTTfph1G *INTERNATIONAL NEWS* *10 February 2025* *NEWS HEADLINES* *Second Labour MP under investigation by party over WhatsApp group comments after Andrew Gwynne sacking* *Trump signs proclamation for Gulf of America Day* *Trump: Trudeau is right, I do want Canada to be 51st state* *NEWS IN DETAIL* *Second Labour MP under investigation by party over WhatsApp group comments after Andrew Gwynne sacking* A second Labour MP - a former councillor in Tameside - has apologised over comments in a WhatsApp group after Gorton and Denton MP Andrew Gwynne was sacked as a government minister. It has been confirmed that Burnley MP Oliver Ryan is being investigated by the Labour Party over 'unacceptable and deeply disappointing' comments in the group. Mr Ryan confirmed he was a member of the WhatsApp chat that Mr Gwynne was sacked as a minister over and apologised for some of his own comments 'which [he] deeply regrets and would not make today'. The chief whip will be speaking with Mr Ryan and 'no action is off the table', a government source told the PA news agency. The WhatsApp group called Trigger Me Timbers hit the headlines this weekend. Mr Ryan, from Ashton-under-Lyne, became an MP in July and was previously a Tameside councillor, representing Audenshaw in the town hall. He held executive roles on the council and also chaired the Tameside Pride event. "Between 2019 and early 2022, I was a member of a WhatsApp group created by my MP and former employer, Andrew Gwynne," Mr Ryan said in a statement posted on X. "Some of the comments made in that group were completely unacceptable, and I fully condemn them. I regret not speaking out at the time, and I recognise that failing to do so was wrong. "I did not see every message, but I accept responsibility for not being more proactive in challenging what was said. I also made some comments myself which I deeply regret and would not make today and for that, I wholeheartedly apologise. "I will co-operate fully with the Labour Party’s investigation." An investigation has been launched into the WhatsApp group, which is said to include more than a dozen Labour councillors and party officials. A government source said: "Oliver Ryan's remarks were unacceptable and deeply disappointing. "While a Labour Party investigation is already under way, the chief whip will also be speaking to him and no action is off the table." It comes after Mr Gwynne was sacked as a health minister and suspended from the Labour Party over what he said were 'badly misjudged' comments that he regretted. Housing minister Matthew Pennycook said on Sunday an investigation was taking place into the 'whole incident'. Mr Gwynne posted on X on Saturday apologising for any offence caused but did not suggest he would stand down as an MP. "I deeply regret my badly misjudged comments and apologise for any offence I've caused. I've served the Labour Party all my life and it was a huge honour to be appointed a minister by Keir Starmer," he wrote. The Prime Minister dismissed Mr Gwynne as a minister as soon as he became aware of the comments, it is understood. A Government spokesman said on Saturday that Sir Keir “is determined to uphold high standards of conduct in public office”. The spokesman said: “He will not hesitate to take action against any minister who fails to meet these standards, as he has in this case.” _Manchester Evening News_ *Trump signs proclamation for Gulf of America Day* US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation recognising February 9 as "the first-ever Gulf of America Day" after a recent executive order by him to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Trump signed the proclamation on Sunday on his way to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, which sits on the gulf. “We are flying right over it right now,” Trump said, sitting aboard Air Force One with a pen in his hand. “So we thought this would be appropriate.” "Today, I am making my first visit to the Gulf of America since its renaming," Trump said in the proclamation published on the White House website. Trump had signed an executive order on his inauguration on January 20, giving the Department of the Interior 30 days to take “all appropriate action” needed to facilitate the name change. Just after Trump signed the executive order, the US Coast Guard started using the term Gulf of America, marking the US government’s first official use of the term. "As my administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America," Trump said in the proclamation. "NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 9, 2025, as Gulf of America Day," he said. He called upon public officials and all the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate programmes, ceremonies, and activities._India Today_ *Trump: Trudeau is right, I do want Canada to be 51st state* President Trump said Sunday he is serious about making Canada the nation’s 51st state. In a pre-Super Bowl interview on Fox, Mr. Trump said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was telling the truth when he told business officials that his talk of making Canada the 51st state is “a real thing.” “Yes, it is,” Mr. Trump said. “I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada and I am not going to let that happen.” Mr. Trump has maintained that Canada is ripping off the United States on trade, arguing Americans are “subsidizing” their neighbor to the north. “Now, if they are 51st state, I don’t mind doing it,” he said. According to local news reports, Mr. Trudeau delivered his comments behind closed doors to business and labor leaders, but a loudspeaker mistakenly carried them. “Mr. Trump has it in mind that the easiest way to do it is absorbing our country and it is a real thing. In my conversations with him on…,” Mr. Trudeau said of making Canada a U.S. state before the microphone cut out, according to reports. “They’re very aware of our resources, of what we have and they very much want to be able to benefit from those,” Mr. Trudeau reportedly said. _Washington Times_