Overview
- Keir Starmer told MPs Matthew Doyle "did not give a full account of his actions" and confirmed he had removed the Labour whip from the new peer after fresh scrutiny of his 2017 support for Sean Morton.
- No 10 said it was not aware of Doyle’s campaigning for Morton when recommending him for a peerage, as Labour’s chair Anna Turley said Doyle should not remain in the Lords and a party investigation proceeds.
- Downing Street noted there is no established precedent for withdrawing a peerage after announcement, and officials signalled wider reforms to vetting and appointment processes.
- The Metropolitan Police’s misconduct-in-public-office investigation into Lord Peter Mandelson is ongoing, with officials trawling decades of records and Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee screening files.
- Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of poor judgment at PMQs, while the PM pointed to Cabinet backing and vowed to press on after senior aides Morgan McSweeney and Tim Allan resigned in the fallout.