Labour women’s fury over second paedophile crisis: Starmer’s judgement savaged over ANOTHER peer’s ties to a sex offender as female MPs blast No10 ‘boys’ club’
Keir Starmer was accused of filling his government with ‘pedophile apologists’ on Wednesday as he tried to defend another controversial appointment.
The Prime Minister has been left stunned in the House of Commons over his decision to demote former communications chief Matthew Doyle, despite knowing he remains friends with a Labor councilor accused of child sex offences.
Lord Doyle’s appointment reflects Sir Keir’s decision to bring back Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite warnings about his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The row raises new questions about the Prime Minister’s decision and threatens to plunge his leadership back into crisis, just days after he narrowly escaped a blow for his handling of the Mandelson scandal.
Angry Labor women accused him of heading a ‘boys’ club’ in Number 10 that paid little attention to victims of sexual abuse.
The party’s former deputy leader, Harriet Harman, called on Sir Keir to appoint a woman as his de facto MP to create a ‘turbo’ effect for a ‘complete culture change’.
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy also complained about “toxic briefings” that were “dripping with misogyny”.
The Prime Minister said he would heed Baroness Harman’s call at a meeting of the women’s Parliamentary Labor Party for a woman to be appointed as First Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Keir Starmer has come under fire for appointing Lord Matthew Doyle despite his friendship with former Labor councilor Sean Morton, a child sex offender
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy at BBC Broadcasting House, 18 January 2026
Asked whether she believed he was serious about ending the boys’ club, Baroness Harman said: ‘I think he knows he has to do it. There were a lot of women who said there should be leadership, because there are a lot of junior men who look at the behavior of senior men and think that’s the way you act, that’s the way you get along, and that needs to change.’
When asked if he had any regrets, he said the Prime Minister was ‘purposeful’ and noted his past as a ‘feminist ally’. But one leading MP rolled his eyes when asked how the meeting went, while another accused Sir Keir of ‘making a bad statement’.
Lord Doyle, who served as Sir Keir’s communications chief for four years, was removed from the Labor whip on Tuesday night as anger grew over his appointment.
But Downing Street failed to explain why Sir Keir was elevated to the Lords last month after it was revealed in December that Lord Doyle was campaigning for former Labor councilor Sean Morton after he was accused of serious sexual offences.
In the House of Commons, Kemi Badenoch said there was now an ‘established pattern’ of behavior in which the Prime Minister ignored warnings about allies’ behavior until he was forced to brush it aside ‘to save his own life’.
The Conservative Party leader accused the Prime Minister of ‘filling the government with hypocrites and pedophile apologists’.
Sir Keir told MPs his former communications chief ‘failed to make a full disclosure’ about his friendship with Morton while he was being vetted for the Lords; It’s an excuse similar to the one that emerged when Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador came under scrutiny.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s leader in the House of Commons, mocked the Prime Minister, branding him the ‘naivest former Director of Public Prosecutions in history’.
Lord Matthew Doyle outside Downing Street, October 2024
Former Labor deputy leader Harriet Harman at BBC Broadcasting House, June 2024
Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, added: ‘The appointment of a supporter of pedophilia cannot be considered unfortunate. Appointing two people shows a disastrous lack of judgement.’
Labor activists have been branded ‘paedo lovers’ on voters’ doorsteps, an MP has said.
Labor colleague Ayesha Hazarika told Times Radio: ‘This man (Morton) has been convicted of very, very serious pedophilia offences. Scrutiny process aside, what’s going on with the emergency detector in Downing Street? I don’t take this lightly, but what’s going on?’
Last night Ms Badenoch demanded the Prime Minister release all documents relating to Lord Doyle’s appointment and warned that if he refused she could force a vote in Parliament on the matter.
‘Keir Starmer did not care about these scandals until they threatened his prime ministership,’ he said. ‘He was more than happy to fill the lords with his dirty friends.
‘No matter what excuse he puts forward, the facts are clear. He appointed former communications director Matthew Doyle as a peer, knew about his relationship with a pedophile, had the authority to take action, but still chose to tie his hands. All documents must be published. ‘No more cover-ups.’
Downing Street was resisting the call last night, saying an internal investigation was ongoing.
