‘Clearly not’: Lucy Powell asked if she would have ennobled Lord Doyle

Labour’s deputy leader has said she would not have ennobled Sir Keir Starmer’s former communications chief knowing what was known about his ties to a paedophile councillor.

Lucy Powell said “it stains the whole system” and “everybody else as well” when someone handed a peerage is then found to have behaved unacceptably.

It comes as the Prime Minister faces renewed questions about his judgment over the move to ennoble Lord Matthew Doyle, who campaigned for Sean Morton in 2017 after the latter was charged with having indecent images of children.

The peer, who has had the Labour whip removed, earlier apologised and said he believed Morton’s assertions of innocence before he admitted the offending.

Sir Keir has said the ex-aide “did not give a full account” of his association with the councillor when he was given a seat in Parliament’s unelected second chamber.

Downing Street has so far declined to commit to stripping Lord Doyle of his peerage, arguing this could prejudice a Labour investigation into the appointment – despite senior party figures including Ms Powell, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Anna Turley saying he should not remain in the Lords.

During a phone-in on LBC, the deputy leader was asked whether she would have ennobled Lord Doyle “knowing what was known” about his ties to Morton.

“Well, clearly not,” Ms Powell replied. “I mean, I don’t know what was known when, there’s obviously different sort of speculation about that.

“My understanding is that it wasn’t known that he kept up this association after he was convicted, or after these things were known, that wasn’t known about.

“But you know, of course, this, anything like this where people are given patronage, peerages, you know, other things, that are then found to have behaved completely unacceptably and inappropriately, you know, kind of stains the whole system, and stains everybody else as well.”

Asked about Lord Doyle’s peerage, Ms Powell, who was sacked as Commons leader in a reshuffle last year before being elected Sir Keir’s deputy, said: “Well I don’t think he should continue with that.”

She echoed the concerns cited by No 10 about getting ahead of an internal party probe, but insisted further action would be taken.

“As I understand it, there is now a thorough investigation going on within the Labour Party, and so sanctions will follow,” Ms Powell said.

“Believe me, further sanctions will follow.”

Opposition parties accused the Prime Minister of a “catastrophic lack of judgment” and said he had “rolled the same pitch” as he had with former ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson by claiming he had not been told of his appointees’ relationships with sex offenders.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of knowing about his former spin doctor’s association with Moray councillor Morton when Lord Doyle took his seat in the upper chamber.

The Labour leader replied: “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.”

Mrs Badenoch pointed out The Sunday Times reported on Lord Doyle’s post-charge association with Moray councillor Morton in late December, after his peerage was announced, but that he went on to take up his seat in the upper chamber in January regardless.

“Despite the Prime Minister knowing this, he gave Doyle a job for life in the House of Lords anyway,” the Conservative leader said.

But No 10 insisted there was no precedent for halting a peerage after it has been announced.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “There’s no established precedent for withdrawing a peerage nomination after the announcement stage.

“That’s why we’re undertaking wider reform to both vetting and appointment processes.”

Lord Doyle, in his vetting, did not disclose the fact he campaigned for Morton after the councillor had appeared in court in connection with indecent child images in late 2016, it is understood.

The spokesman also declined to say whether the Government could heed calls to remove the former aide’s peerage, suggesting doing so could prejudice the party’s probe.

“We’re just not going to get ahead of the investigation,” Sir Keir’s spokesman told journalists.

Culture Secretary Ms Nandy and party chairwoman Ms Turley have also said Lord Doyle should not remain in the upper chamber, as the Government moves to bring forward legislation to strip Lord Mandelson of his peerage.

The row comes after a torrid week for Sir Keir’s premiership, which has been rocked by two departures from Downing Street, a call from the Scottish Labour leader for him to resign and the scandal surrounding Lord Mandelson’s appointment in Washington despite his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

During PMQs, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn accused the Prime Minister of following the same playbook as he had with his former top diplomat in Washington.

“He’s essentially rolled the same pitch in relation to Matthew Doyle as he did with Peter Mandelson – that they weren’t clear with him.

“He appears to be the most gullible former director of public prosecutions in history.”

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey told the Commons: “To appoint one paedophile supporter cannot be excused as ‘misfortune’.

“To appoint two shows a catastrophic lack of judgment.”

Sir Keir has also faced pressure to release documents relating to his ex-communications chief’s appointment to the Lords, with the Conservatives saying the possibility of using a parliamentary vote to compel their publication was “not off the table”.

No 10 again pointed to the ongoing party investigation when asked whether it could release the files.

In his apology, Lord Doyle apologised “unreservedly” for supporting Morton before the case against him had concluded.

The peer said he also had “extremely limited” contact with Morton after his conviction.

Labour had suspended Morton after he appeared in court in connection with indecent child images in late 2016.

Lord Doyle campaigned for Morton when he ran as an Independent in May 2017.