Keir Starmer gave peerage to former aide who campaigned for child sex offender

"Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference."

"Sir Keir Starmer nominated a former adviser for a peerage despite him having previously campaigned for a councillor charged with child sex offences. Earlier this month, Downing Street announced that Matthew Doyle, who served as No 10 director of communications before stepping down in March, had been nominated for a peerage by the prime minister. Downing Street has now admitted that Mr Doyle's links with Sean Morton were thoroughly investigated."

"It is understood that No 10 was satisfied that a past acquaintance did not represent a bar to Mr Doyle's appointment to the Lords. Morton, who was the Scottish Labour councillor for Fochabers and Lhanbryde, was charged with possessing and distributing indecent images of children in December 2016 and was later convicted in February 2018 of crimes including possession of several pictures of naked girls as young as 10."

The Independent solicits donations to fund on-the-ground journalism covering reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech, and avoids paywalls to make reporting freely available. Donations are described as enabling reporters to speak to both sides and to investigate matters such as Elon Musk's PAC and a documentary on American women's reproductive rights. Sir Keir Starmer nominated Matthew Doyle, a former No 10 director of communications, for a peerage. Downing Street investigated Doyle's links to Sean Morton and conducted several interviews with Doyle before concluding the acquaintance did not bar the nomination. Morton, a former Scottish Labour councillor, was convicted in 2018 for possessing indecent images of children, including pictures of girls as young as ten.

Read at www.independent.co.uk