NewsBeat
Starmer faces new crisis as paedophile-linked peer and former comms chief suspended from Labour Party
Keir Starmer’s fightback against an attempted Labour leadership coup has been overshadowed by a fresh scandal involving one of his closest former aides.
Labour announced on Tuesday evening that it had suspended Sir Keir’s former communications chief Lord Matthew Doyle over links to a convicted paedophile who the prime minister has elevated to the Lords in December.
The latest development will raise new questions over Sir Keir’s integrity and judgment with echoes of the Peter Mandelson scandal which has already cost him his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and brought his premiership to the brink of collapse.
Mandelson was made ambassador to the US – the UK’s most important diplomatic role – despite the prime minister knowing of his ongoing relationship with the convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement Lord Doyle has apologised for his past association with a paedophile councillor as he was suspended from the Labour party.
Lord Doyle, who formally became a peer earlier this year, campaigned for Sean Morton when he ran as an independent in May 2017. In January that year, Mr Morton had appeared in court charged in connection with indecent child images.
Lord Doyle said: “I want to apologise for my past association with Sean Morton. His offences were vile and I completely condemn the actions for which he was rightly convicted. My thoughts are with the victims and all those impacted by these crimes.
“At the point of my campaigning support, Morton repeatedly asserted to all those who knew him his innocence, including initially in court. He later changed his plea in court to guilty.
“To have not ceased support ahead of a judicial conclusion was a clear error of judgment for which I apologise unreservedly.”
The news broke just hours after Sir Keir had broken cover to launch his personal fightback with a speech focussed on the cost of living at a community centre in Hertford.
He insisted: “I will never walk away from the mandate I was given to change this country. I will never walk away from the people that I’m charged with fighting for. And I will never walk away from the country that I love.”
In a bid to limit the damage, sources in Downing Street last night briefed that No10 was not aware Lord Doyle had campaigned for Sean Morton at time of appointment. Nevertheless there were media reports on the issue before Lord Doyle was sworn as a peer.
He was also facing questions over sacking cabinet secretary Sir Christopher Wormhald a year after appointing him with home office permanent secretary Dame Antonia Romeo the expected replacement.
Already, Sir Keir had been embarrassed by his health secretary Wes Streeting who had unanimously published private messages between himself and Mandelson to clear his names over “smears” about their relationship. The publication broke cabinet collective responsibility by revealing Mr Streeting disagreed with Middle East and economic policy in the government of which he is a part.
While Sir Keir was too weak to sack him, energy secretary Ed Miliband hit out at the health secretary for breaking collective responsibility and the Metropolitan Police and Cabinet Office warned other ministers against further publications which could undermine any criminal action against the disgraced former Labour peer Mandelson.
Last week Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, wrote to Sir Keir calling on him to publish “vetting advice and due diligence” received ahead of Mr Doyle being handed a peerage. Sir Keir also faced questions about the appointment at a meeting of Labour MPs on Monday night.
Reacting to the latest scandal, Ms Badenoch said: “Keir Starmer handed a peerage to Matthew Doyle despite knowing about his ongoing friendship with a man charged with child sex crimes. The Prime Minister has now suspended the whip, but he must come clean about what he was told before making this appointment. We won’t let this go.”
Despite not taking the Labour whip, Lord Doyle will remain a peer. Currently peers can retire from the House of Lords but cannot be removed, although Sir Keir discussed plans to change that process in the wake of the Mandelson scandal.
On Monday the PM was also hit by the resignation of another Downing Street director of communications Tim Allan, less than 24 hours after chief of staff Morgan McSweeney resigned, as Labour tries to weather the Mandelson-Epstein scandal.
Mr McSweeney stepped down on Sunday over his advice to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States despite Mr Mandelson’s previous association with the convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement Lord Doyle added: “Those of us who took him at his word were clearly mistaken.
“I have never sought to dismiss or diminish the seriousness of the offences for which he was rightly convicted. They are clearly abhorrent and I have never questioned his conviction.
“Following his conviction any contact was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years. Twice I was at events organised by other people, which he attended, and once I saw him to check on his welfare after concerns were raised through others.
“I acted to try to ensure the welfare of a troubled individual whilst fully condemning the crimes for which he has been convicted and being clear that my thoughts are with the victims of his crimes.
“I am sorry about the mistakes I have made. I will not be taking the Labour whip.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, let me conclude where I started. Morton’s crimes were vile and my only concerns are for his victims.”