Keir Starmer nominates aide who supported paedophile for peerage

Sir Keir Starmer has given a peerage to an aide who supported a paedophile. Matthew Doyle was the Downing Street’s director of communications until leaving the role March. He was included in the list of nominations for the House of Lords released earlier this month, and now it has emerged that the former spin doctor stood by a paedophile former Labour councillor in Moray, Scotland.

Sean Morton retained Doyle’s help after he was charged with possessing and distributing indecent images of children in December 2016. After being immediately suspended by Labour, Morton was later convicted in December 2017 of having been in possession of multiple pictures of naked girls as young as 10-years-old.

Despite the charges, Doyle knocked on doors for Morton during an election campaign as an independent for the the Fochabers Lhanbryde ward in May 2017, and was pictured wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Re-elect Sean Morton” on it.

He also attended a vote count with Morton.

A No. 10 spokeswoman told The Times: “Questions regarding Matthew Doyle’s past acquaintance with Sean Morton were thoroughly investigated, including through several interviews with Matthew Doyle, prior to his appointment [to the Lords].”

Doyle told the newspaper: “Sean Morton was maintaining his innocence at this time. I regret supporting him.

“Sean Morton was someone I knew for a period through other shared acquaintances. I have not seen him for years.”

When asked if he had kept contact with Morton after his conviction, Doyle declined to respond.

The latest nominations for peerages are listed below:

1. Andy (Andrew) Roe KSFM – Chair of the national Building Safety Regulator and former London Fire Commissioner

2. Dame Ann Limb DBE DL – Former Further Education College Principal and former Chair, The Scouts. Pro Chancellor, University of Surrey, and Chair of City & Guilds Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, and The King’s Foundation

3. Brenda Dacres OBE – Mayor of Lewisham

4. Carol Linforth OBE – Lately Labour Party Chief of Staff – Operations

5. Catherine MacLeod – Former journalist and political adviser, Visiting Professor at King’s College London and Non-Executive Director at the Scotland Office

6. David Isaac CBE – Provost of Worcester College, Oxford, Chair of the University of the Arts London, Chair of the Henry Moore Foundation, and a trustee of Cumberland Lodge

7. David Pitt-Watson – Responsible Investment Expert. Co-founder and former CEO of the Equity Ownership Service and Focus Funds at Federated Hermes

8. Farmida Bi CBE – Chair of Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Vice-Chair of the Disasters Emergency Committee

9. Professor Geeta Nargund – Founder and former Medical Director of Create Fertility. Founder and Trustee of Health Equality Foundation

10. Katie Martin – Lately, Chief of Staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer

11. Joe Docherty – Chair of Northern Powergrid Foundation and Trustee, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, former Chair of Council, Durham University

12. Len (Leonard) Duvall OBE – Chair of the London Assembly and Leader of the London Assembly Labour Group

13. Matthew Doyle – Former Director of Communications to the Prime Minister and for the Labour Party

14. Sir Michael Barber – Chancellor, University of Exeter and adviser to the Prime Minister on effective delivery

15. Neena Gill CBE – Former Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands

16. Nick (Nicholas) Forbes CBE – Chair, Breaking Down Barriers Commission and former Labour Leader, Newcastle City Council

17. Peter Babudu – Executive Director of Impact on Urban Health, former councillor in Southwark

18. Peter John OBE – Former Southwark Leader and former Chair of London Councils.

19. Richard Walker OBE – Founder and Chairman, Bywater and Executive Chairman, Iceland Foods

20. Russell Hobby CBE – CEO, The Kemnal Academies Trust, former CEO, Teach First and former General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers

21. Cllr. Dr Sara Hyde – Fabian Society Chair and Islington council’s Executive Member for Health and Social Care

22. Cllr. Shama Tatler – Brent Councillor and Vice-Chair of the London Labour Regional Executive, Patron of the Labour Housing Group and Head of the Labour Group Office at the Local Government Association

23. Dr Sophy Antrobus MBE – Senior Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King’s College London

24. Tracey Paul – Chief Communications Officer at Pool Reinsurance and former policy advisor

25. Uday Nagaraju – Technology Consultant, Politician and Founder of AI Policy Labs