Starmer’s former Director of Communications Matthew Doyle has been suspended from Labour over his links to a convicted sex offender, the i Paper reports. Starmer handed Doyle a peerage at the end of last year…
Doyle had campaigned for ex-Labour councillor Sean Morton in Scotland after he was charged with possessing indecent images of children in December 2016. Moran later admitted to sex offences. Doyle 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.”
“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.”
Another one gone…
Reheated from last night’s speech to Labour MPs. Almost like he’s saying he is a fighter, not a quitter…
The department for cover-ups and government secrecy is living up to its usual agenda by demanding massive redactions of the Mandelson data dump, due from the government after a successful Humble Address motion by the Tories. Insiders at 70 Whitehall say the redaction button is in overdrive…
There are “hundreds of thousands” of items of data in scope of the motion, including WhatsApp and text messages between Mandelson and Cabinet ministers, which a special team including government lawyers from Government Legal Department are now working through. Guido understands this includes messages with Starmer. Wes Streeting got ahead of the issue yesterday with a carefully selected set of self-published data – the Cabinet Office is telling other ministers and special advisers not to follow suit. Should those messages reveal further embarrassments for the government (which is “inevitable”), Starmer’s position will once again wobble…
The Cabinet Office and FCDO (Mandelson’s line management department as an Ambassador, he was an officer of the Diplomatic Service despite being a political appointee) are deploying “national security and diplomatic redactions” to the material – for an Ambassador, basically any communication could be said to be relevant to “relations between the UK and other countries“. Parliament is in no mood to tolerate extensive redactions however. The greatest fear in Whitehall is that the messages will further expose Mandelson’s commercial interests and friends…
Allies of Morgan McSweeney say National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell had a significant role in getting Mandelson into post as ambassador. One old Blairite helping out another…
Powell and Mandelson go back decades, having worked hand-in-glove throughout the New Labour years. Their long-running partnership includes Mandelson emailing Powell in 2002 to help arrange Tony Blair’s Downing Street meeting with Jeffrey Epstein. The full rundown of their relationship:
Tim Allen and Morgan McSweeney have resigned effectively over their close relationship to Mandelson. Could Powell be next…
So far in support:
UPDATE: All covered now over space of almost one hour.
Rolling list here:
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sawar is holding his unscheduled press conference to call for Starmer to resign. It’s not expected that Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan will do the same today. Dominoes…
UPDATE: After Sarwar calls for Starmer to go, No10 responds:
“Keir Starmer is one of only four Labour leaders ever to have won a general election. He has a clear five-year mandate from the British people to deliver change, and that is what he will do.”
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”