Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer nominated his former communications chief for a seat in the House of Lords despite being aware the aide had actively campaigned for a Labour councillor later convicted of child sex abuse crimes, new allegations reveal.
Investigation into Past Support for Convicted Paedophile
Matthew Doyle, who served as Sir Keir's spin doctor until March of this year, is due to take up a peerage early in 2025. However, it has now emerged that Downing Street investigated Mr Doyle's past association with Sean Morton, a former Labour councillor from Moray in northeast Scotland.
Morton was charged in December 2016 with possessing and distributing indecent images of children. He was suspended from the Labour Party when he appeared in court and was ultimately convicted in December 2017. His crimes included possession of several images of naked girls as young as ten.
Despite these serious charges, Mr Doyle campaigned for Morton when he stood as an independent candidate in the May 2017 local elections. According to a report by The Sunday Times, the former aide, who also worked for Sir Tony Blair, knocked on doors wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan 'Re-elect Sean Morton'.
Downing Street's Internal Probe and Conclusion
It is understood that Number 10 was aware of the connection between the two men and launched an internal investigation. The inquiry reportedly included several interviews with Matthew Doyle himself prior to his nomination for the Lords.
Despite the findings, Downing Street concluded that this past acquaintance did not present a barrier to Mr Doyle receiving a peerage. A spokesperson stated: 'Questions regarding Matthew Doyle's past acquaintance with Sean Morton were thoroughly investigated, including through several interviews with Matthew Doyle, prior to his appointment.'
No further details of the investigation's scope or findings have been made public. Mr Doyle accompanied Morton to the election count in 2017, where the councillor lost his seat, and the pair were photographed together outside a Glasgow cafe in August of that year.
Political Fallout and Regrets
This revelation is likely to increase political pressure on Sir Keir Starmer, who earlier this year faced criticism for initially refusing to order a national inquiry into grooming gangs before performing a U-turn. The Prime Minister has previously told MPs he would 'fight to defend victims of child abuse or child sexual exploitation'.
In response to the allegations, Matthew Doyle told The Sunday Times he 'regrets' supporting Morton, claiming he was 'maintaining his innocence [of the charges] at the time'. He added: 'Sean Morton was someone I knew for a period through other shared acquaintances. I have not seen him for years.'
The association between Doyle and Morton dates back to at least 2016, when they travelled together to the United States to join Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Morton pleaded not guilty to the charges in 2017 but later admitted to possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography in November of that year. He was placed on the sex offenders' register in February 2018 and ordered to perform 140 hours of unpaid work, avoiding a jail sentence.
When Matthew Doyle left his role as communications chief in March, after just nine months in Number 10, Sir Keir paid warm tribute, saying he had 'worked tirelessly by my side every day' since summer 2021 and played a leading role in Labour's election victory.
