Sir Keir Starmer’s fightback against an attempted Labour leadership coup has been overshadowed by yet another scandal involving one of his closest former aides.
The British Prime minister has been plunged into a fresh crisis as his former communications chief Mathew Doyle, has been suspended from Labour over his links to a convicted pedophile former councillor Sean Morton.
Sir Keir had elevated Doyle to the House of Lords in December.
The Independentreports:The latest development will raise fresh questions over Sir Keir’s integrity and judgment, with echoes of thePeter Mandelsonscandal, which has already cost him his chief of staff,Morgan McSweeney,and brought his premiership to the brink of collapse.
Lord 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.
And now, Lord Doyle, who retains his peerage despite being stripped of the party whip, has revealed that he, too, had kept in contact with Morton, even after he was convicted.
In a statement, Lord Doyle said any contact “was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years”.
He said: “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.”
Source: The People's Voice
