Former senior aide to Starmer loses whip over friendship with sex offender | Scotland
Keir Starmer’s long-standing communications chief has been suspended from Labor in his new role in the Lords after it was revealed he campaigned on behalf of a friend accused of possessing indecent images of children.
Matthew Doyle, who resigned as the 10th chief communications officer last March and was made peer in December, said in a statement that he had apologized for his ties to former Labor councilor Sean Morton in Scotland. was sentenced I acquired the images in 2018.
It is another embarrassment for Starmer following ongoing controversy over his decision to make Peter Mandelson ambassador to Washington despite his close ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Doyle, who worked for Starmer in opposition and is one of the prime minister’s longest-serving aides, has held up the Labor whip in the House of Lords.
He later faced pressure Sunday Times The councilman expressed support for Morton even when he was indicted in 2016.
According to the newspaper, after Morton was accused and suspended by the Labor Party, Doyle insisted Morton was innocent and traveled to Scotland to support himself as an independent candidate, wearing a top with the slogan “Re-elect Sean Morton”.
Following the reports, Starmer is understood to have asked for the matter to be revisited and said he and Downing Street did not know Doyle had campaigned for Morton before becoming a peer.
Meanwhile, Scottish Labor has suspended the party whip of MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy, who resigned as education spokesman in December following revelations about her friendship with Morton.
He said he would stand down from the Scottish parliament in May, adding: “Whilst this is obviously a very difficult decision and representing Glasgow is the greatest honor of my life, I do not want to be distracted by a personal friendship.”
SNP MSP Rona Mackay previously called on Anas Sarwar to suspend Duncan-Glancy, saying: “There are no excuses left for Anas Sarwar’s duplicity and failure to act on one of his own MSPs, who had much closer links to the twice-convicted pedophile and still refuses to say whether those links continue today.”
Morton lost the election and pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges related to possession of indecent images of children and extreme pornography. He was sentenced to take revenge on society and was placed on the sex offenders’ register.
Doyle said in a statement: “I would like to apologize for my past association with Sean Morton. His crimes were despicable and I completely condemn the actions for which he was rightly convicted. My thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected by these crimes.”
“During my campaign support, Morton repeatedly maintained his innocence to everyone who knew him, including initially in court. He later changed his plea in court to guilty. Not withholding support before the judicial outcome was a clear error of judgment, for which I unreservedly apologize.”
Doyle said his subsequent contact with Morton was “extremely limited” and that he “had not seen or spoken to him in years.” Doyle said he saw Morton once “to check on his welfare after concerns had been raised through others.”
He added: “I’m sorry for the mistakes I’ve made. I won’t take the Labor whip.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Keir Starmer demoted Matthew Doyle despite knowing of his ongoing friendship with a man accused of child sexual offences.
“The Prime Minister has now suspended the whip, but he needs to clearly state what he was told before making this appointment. We will not let this go.”
Starmer denied allegations that he knew about Doyle’s relationship with Morton.
Scottish Labor Party spokesman Duncan-Glancy said: “All complaints are dealt with thoroughly in line with our rules and procedures.”
