Under fire Starmer says peer 'did not give full account'

SIR Keir Starmer said his former communications chief “did not give a full account” of his ties to a paedophile councillor when he was sent to the House of Lords.

- SOPHIE WINGATE

Downing Street declined to commit to stripping Lord Matthew Doyle of his peerage, arguing this could prejudice a Labour investigation into the appointment.

Lord Doyle has apologised after having the Labour whip removed for campaigning for Sean Morton in 2017 after he had been charged over indecent images of children, saying he believed his assertions of innocence, but the councillor later admitted having the images.

Opposition parties accused the Prime Minister of a “catastrophic lack of judgement” 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.