Lord Matthew Doyle, Sir Keir Starmer’s former communications chief, has apologised for his past association with a paedophile councillor and said he will not be taking the Labour whip
Keir Starmer’s former media chief has been suspended from Labour over his links to a convicted sex offender.
Lord Matthew Doyle, who now sits in the House of Lords, has had the Labour whip withdrawn over his campaigning for Sean Morton, an ex-Labour councillor in Moray, Scotland, after the candidate was charged with possessing indecent images of children in December 2016. Morton later admitted having indecent images of children in November 2017.
The PM’s former communications chief has now apologised for his past association with a paedophile councillor and said he will not be taking the Labour whip.
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Lord Doyle, who campaigned for Morton when he ran as an Independent in May 2017, has now apologised for his past association with him and admitted “extremely limited” contact with him after his conviction.
He said: “I want to apologise for my past association with Sean Morton. His offences were vile and I completely condemn the actions for which he was rightly convicted. My thoughts are with the victims and all those impacted by these crimes.
“At the point of my campaigning support, Morton repeatedly asserted to all those who knew him his innocence, including initially in court. He later changed his plea in court to guilty. To have not ceased support ahead of a judicial conclusion was a clear error of judgment for which I apologise unreservedly.”
Mr Doyle stood down last year after just nine months in the job. Previously working for Tony Blair, he was said to have made the decision to leave after feeling he had stabilised No10’s communications strategy and narrative.
The peer, who will now sit as an independent. continued: “Those of us who took him at his word were clearly mistaken. I have never sought to dismiss or diminish the seriousness of the offences for which he was rightly convicted. They are clearly abhorrent and I have never questioned his conviction.
“Following his conviction any contact was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years. Twice I was at events organised by other people, which he attended, and once I saw him to check on his welfare after concerns were raised through others. 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. For the avoidance of any doubt, let me conclude where I started. Morton’s crimes were vile and my only concerns are for his victims.”
A Labour Party Spokesperson said: “All complaints are assessed thoroughly in line with our rules and procedures.”