Keir Starmer has told the Commons that his former communications chief Matthew Doyle “did not give a full account of his actions” before being nominated for a peerage. The prime minister made the statement after it emerged that Doyle had campaigned for a friend charged with possessing indecent images of children. Doyle, who stepped down as No 10 head of communications last March, was suspended from the Labour whip on Monday.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pressed Starmer on why Doyle was given “a job for life in the House of Lords”. Starmer responded: “Matthew Doyle did not give a full account of his actions. On Monday I promised my party and my country there will be change, and yesterday I removed the whip from Matthew Doyle.” Badenoch accused the PM of showing “terrible judgment”.
Downing Street has argued that the information about Doyle’s support for the convicted sex offender came too late to reconsider the peerage. However, the House of Lords confirmed that a peerage only exists after “letters patent” are sealed, which for Doyle happened in January. A government spokesperson said there was “no established precedent for withdrawing a peerage nomination after the announcement stage”.
Asked if Doyle would be stripped of his title, Starmer’s press secretary said the Labour party was investigating. Deputy leader Lucy Powell hinted that new legislation being drafted to remove Peter Mandelson’s title could also apply to Doyle. “I think the new legislation will be legislation that will apply to any man or woman,” she said.
Earlier, junior education minister Georgia Gould said No 10 did not know about Doyle’s actions before his nomination, although the Sunday Times reported on 27 December that Downing Street had investigated his continued support for the convicted councillor. Meanwhile, Scottish Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy, who had the whip withdrawn over her friendship with Morton, defended their relationship, describing Morton as a “highly vulnerable person”.
