Starmer latest: PM ‘too weak’ to sack leadership rival Wes Streeting, allies claim

Sir Keir Starmer’s fightback against an attempted Labour leadership coup has been overshadowed by a fresh scandal involving one of his closest former aides.

Labour announced on Tuesday evening that it had suspended Sir Keir’s former communications chief, Matthew Doyle, who the prime minister elevated to the House of Lords in December, over his links to a convicted paedophile, former councillor Sean Morton.

The latest development will raise fresh questions over Sir Keir’s integrity and judgment, with echoes of the Peter Mandelson scandal, which has already cost him his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney and brought his premiership to the brink of collapse.

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox and Whitehall editor Kate Devlin report:

Sir Keir Starmer’s Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, missed a meeting at the last minute on Tuesday amid rumours that he could be next to leave government.

Mr Wormald was due to attend a meeting of Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) but the ISC said he was unavailable at the last minute, according to a press notice.

Officials filled in for Sir Chris as the committee held an extraordinary meeting to discuss its task of screening files relating to Lord Mandelson to decide what can be released into the public domain.

Baroness Jennifer Chapman of Darlington, minister of state for development, told peers that it was a “bad decision” to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson to the position of US ambassador but that she was “proud” of Sir Keir Starmer’s handling of the situation.

“It’s a bad decision,” she said on Tuesday. “Now, when you make a bad decision in life, especially when you’re the Prime Minister, you’ve got a choice.

“Some prime ministers have stood at the despatch box in the other place (Commons) and told barefaced lies about it.

“Ours didn’t, and I’m proud of him for that.”

The latest chapter in this ongoing crisis for the prime minister, which comes as he tried to draw a line under the chaos within the party after the most turbulent day of his premiership so far, threatens to bring Starmer right back to the brink.

The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:

Sir Keir Starmer nominated Lord Matthew Doyle for a peerage despite him having previously campaigned for a councillor charged with child sex offences.

Lord Doyle was nominated for a peerage by the prime minister in December.

Downing Street later admitted that Mr Doyle’s links with Sean Morton were “thoroughly investigated” before he was nominated for a peerage, with several interviews taking place with Mr Doyle himself.

Lord Matthew Doyle has admitted he had contact with paedophile councillor Sean Morton after his conviction but that exchanges were “extremely limited”.

“Following his conviction any contact was extremely limited and I have not seen or spoken to him in years,” he said.

“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.”

He said the latter was because: “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.”

Officials are searching through 25 years of records in search of evidence linking Lord Peter Mandelson to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, according to the Times.

Civil servants are poring through correspondence including from Lord Mandelson’s time as Northern Ireland secretary between 1999 and 2002 under Tony Blair and as business secretary under Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010.

A Metropolitan Police investigation into Lord Mandelson and allegations of misconduct in public office was launched last week and the peer’s homes were searched.

Sir Keir Starmer has told ministers they should be “acting together” after they were warned not to follow Wes Streeting in publishing messages with Peter Mandelson amid a police investigation into alleged misconduct in a public office.

In a message to officials, the Cabinet Office is understood to have told members of Government that they should not share material that could be covered by a Commons motion forcing the release of documents relating to the peer’s appointment as US ambassador.

Scotland Yard warned that it is “vital due process is followed” so as not to jeopardise its probe following accusations the peer passed market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein in the 2000s.

On Monday the health secretary shared a transcript of messages, dated from August 2024 to October 2025 in which he said Labour had no growth strategy and referred to Israel as a “rogue state”.

Health secretary Wes Streeting has hit back at reports that he is continuing attempts to undermine Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s leadership despite presenting a united front.

Sources told the Guardian that Mr Streeting is intent on standing against the PM and is biding his time by waiting for the Gorton and Denton byelection to be over later this month.

Mr Streeting said he had not been approached with the claims.

“The @guardian did not approach me or my team with these claims,” he wrote on X on Tuesday night.

“Had they done so I would have said this is categorically untrue.”

Chair of the Labour party Anna Turley believes Lord Matthew Doyle should be stripped off his peerage.

Asked if he should remain as peer, Turley told Sky News: “No, I don’t think he should.”

She explained: “That’s my personal view. And just like with Peter Mandelson, we’re going to be making it easier for people who have particularly undertaken criminal offences to be removed from the Lords.

“We don’t have that power at the moment.

“He’s not committed a criminal offence, but, you know, I just think people who’ve got this kind of record or have not been clear and transparent, there’s no place for them in the Lords.”