Lord Matthew Doyle, a former media chief for Keir Starmer, has been suspended from the Labour Party due to his connections with a convicted sex offender. Doyle, who currently serves in the House of Lords, had his Labour whip withdrawn for supporting Sean Morton, a former Labour councillor in Moray, Scotland, who was charged with possessing indecent images of children in December 2016 and later admitted to the offense in November 2017.
Following public backlash, Doyle publicly apologized for his association with Morton and announced that he would not be accepting the Labour whip. Despite campaigning for Morton as an Independent candidate in May 2017, Doyle expressed regret for not severing ties with him earlier after learning of his criminal activities.
In a statement, Doyle condemned Morton’s actions as “vile” and expressed sympathy for the victims affected by his crimes. He acknowledged his error in judgment and apologized unreservedly for his past support of Morton before his guilty plea.
Doyle, who resigned from his position last year after a brief tenure, clarified that he had minimal contact with Morton following the conviction and emphasized that his actions were aimed at supporting a troubled individual while condemning his criminal behavior. He announced his decision to sit as an independent member, stating that he would not be affiliated with the Labour Party moving forward.
In response to the controversy, a spokesperson for the Labour Party affirmed that all complaints are thoroughly assessed in accordance with their rules and procedures.
