Starmer latest: PM faces fresh furore over judgement after paedophile-linked former comms chief suspended from Labour

Pam Duncan-Glancy, a member of Scottish parliament, has had the Labour whip suspended over her alleged friendship with paedophile former councillor Sean Morton, according to Sky News.

A Labour spokesperson told the broadcaster: “All complaints are assessed thoroughly in line with our rules and procedures.”

It follows Lord Matthew Doyle’s suspension earlier this evening.

She had previously resigned from the Labour front bench in Holyrood.

The Independent has contacted Ms Duncan-Glancy for comment.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced the biggest crisis of his leadership because of his decision to appoint a close ally of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to the plum job of U.K. ambassador to the United States.

Many warned him not to appoint Peter Mandelson, a 72-year-old grandee of the Labour Party, to the job. Starmer, who never met Epstein, accepts that Mandelson's appointment was a mistake, and has apologized to Epstein's victims as well as to Labour and the country as a whole.

Starmer remains in office, but questions remain as to how long he can do so.

How one appointment nearly brought the demise of the prime minister:

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.

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

Lord Doyle, who worked for Sir Keir in opposition and entered Downing Street with him in 2024, campaigned for Morton when he ran as an independent in May 2017 – four months after Morton had appeared in court charged in connection with indecent child images.

He retains his peerage despite being stripped of the party whip. Lord Doyle has since revealed that he, too, had kept in contact with Morton, even after he was convicted.

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”.

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:

Baroness Chapman of Darlington 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.”

Keir Starmer is a prime minister who cannot catch a break, even as he breaks cover to launch a fightback to save his premiership.

Moments after he delivered a “put up or shut up” message to his critics and rivals in a moment of defiance over his future as prime minister, news broke that Lord Matthew Doyle, the man he chose as his first director of communications and then personally appointed to the Lords, has been suspended by Labour over links to a paedophile.

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:

Away from internal bickering and scandal, Labour are gearing up to fight a crucial by-election in Gorton and Denton.

The seat was previously held by Andrew Gwynne, who retired on health grounds, a year after the ‘Trigger Me Timbers’ WhatsApp scandal cost him the party whip.

But voters now say they are considering moving away from the party and consider the choice to be between Reform and the Greens.

Reporter Dan Haygarth has been out and about in the constituency to speak to voters:

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.”

In his statement on the Sean Morton row, Lord Doyle said: “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.”