Labour has removed the whip from Matthew Doyle, Starmer’s former director of communications, who only recently became a peer
Good morning. At PMQs last week Keir Starmer had to face questions about a Labour peer with a paedophile friend. Today he seems likely to face questions about another peer in this category.
As Peter Walker reports, yesterday Labour said it had removed the whip from Matthew Doyle, who only recently became a Labour peer, having previously served as Starmer’s director of communications.
Doyle had campaigned for a friend who had been charged with possessing indecent images of children. The friend claimed he was innocent at the time, but subsequently pleaded guilty. Yesterday Doyle issued a lengthy statement apologising.
Given that Doyle’s peerage was announced in December, and that he took his seat in early January – after the details of his friendship with Sean Morton had been made public – Labour’s decision to remove the whip yesterday looks like a move timed to minimise the dangers from this issue being raised at PMQs.
