Keir Starmer has accused his former communications director, Matthew Doyle, of not providing a complete explanation of his actions before being granted a peerage, despite his connections to a councillor involved in a child abuse case.
The Prime Minister faced scrutiny during PMQs regarding his decision to award a peerage to Doyle, who had his Labour whip revoked due to his support for Sean Morton, a councillor charged with possessing indecent images of children in 2017.
In response to questions from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, Starmer stated that Doyle failed to disclose all his actions, leading to the removal of his whip as a consequence of promised changes within the party.
Badenoch tried to draw parallels between this incident and the scandal involving Peter Mandelson’s affiliation with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting a pattern of questionable associations within the government.
Doyle, who had campaigned for Morton in 2017, expressed regret for his past ties to the councillor and acknowledged limited post-conviction contact. He emphasized condemning Morton’s actions and expressed sympathy for the victims.
Moving forward, Doyle will sit as an independent in the House of Lords and has chosen not to take the Labour whip as a sign of accountability for his errors in judgment and respect for the victims of Morton’s crimes.
