Starmer latest: Badenoch accuses PM of ‘stuffing government with paedophile apologists’ amid Lord Doyle row – UK Times

For the first time, Keir Starmer said his former communications chief Lord Matthew Doyle “did not give a full account of his actions” when he was given a peerage despite his ties to a paedophile councillor.

The prime minister elevated Lord Doyle to the House of Lords in December, with the Times revealing that month that Doyle’s previous campaigning with paedophile Sean Morton came at end of December.

Analysis from Political Editor David Maddox:

Kemi Badenoch had plenty to shoot out in PMQs with a weakened prime minister Keir Starmer desperately holding on to power.

Not only the Mandelson scandal but also now the appointment of another friend of a paedophile Matthew Doyle to the House of Lords.

Sir Keir decided that the only way to deal with an indefensible position was to come out swinging and attacking the Tories as a “dying party”.

He wanted to talk about Tory defectors to Reform not Labour politicians knee deep in scandal.

Not satisfied with that, his response to Lib Dem leader Ed Davey that his party was responsible for austerity.

He then reminded the SNP’s Westminster leader that his party’s former chief executive is about to go on trial for alleged corruption.

While the responses sound hollow, and the PM looks angry and uncomfortable the tactics have at least got his own Labour MPs cheering behind him and shown a man not willing to bow out without a fight.

Kemi Badenoch has launched a brutal attack on Sir Keir Starmer’s record in government, accusing him of “only caring about victims when he is trying to save his own skin” and “stuffing government with hypocrites and paedophile apologists”.

Seizing on the chaos in Labour, the Tory leader said: “The prime minister sometimes likes to claim that he cares about violence against women. The truth is that he only cares about victims when he is trying to save his own skin.

“We saw it with grooming gangs, we saw it with Mandelson. And now we see it with Doyle. Isn’t that what a former prosecutor would call an established pattern of behaviour?”

Hitting back, Sir Keir said: “I’m going to take no lectures from the Tories about standards in public life. She defended Partygate for months and months and months.”

But Mrs Badenoch retorted: “Nobody buys it… not even the Labour women, because they know he always puts the Downing Street boys club first.

“And how dare he criticise us. We weren’t the one stuffing government with hypocrites and paedophile apologists.”

Badenoch criticises Starmer for “stuffing” his government with “hypocrites and paedophile apologists”.

“He can’t build a team, he has no plan, he can’t even run his own office, let allow the country, she went on to say.”

Political Editor David Maddox:

The prime minister is trying to put the issues back on to Kemi Badenoch but was asked by the Tory leader about his appointment of former aide Matthew Doyle to the Lords.

Starmer responded saying that “Matthew Doyle did not give a full account of his actions”.

If that sounds familiar it is because he said exactly the same about his appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US.

Somehow he ignored all the reports and media stories in the lead up to those decisions.

Political Correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Kemi Badenoch has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer for the resignation of Morgan McSweeney, after his closest adviser attempted to take the fall for the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

The Tory leader said: “When he was leader of the opposition, the prime minister said, and I quote: ‘I never turn on my staff. When they make mistakes. I carry the can.’ What changed?”

Responding, Sir Keir told MPs in the Commons: “Well Mr Speaker I’ve accepted responsibility and apologised for the mistakes that I made.

“Morgan McSweeney helped me change our party and helped me win a landslide election victory, which delivered for them the smallest Tory party in over 100 years. And whats her great achievement? To make it even smaller.”

Starmer kicked off prime minister’s questions by joking about the number of meetings with ministerial colleagues this week.

“This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues, there has been quite a few of them this week,” he quipped.

Political Editor David Maddox:

It has been a hard week for the prime minister but he at least received a cheer as he stood up for PMQs today.

The problem is that it was coming from the Tories being ironic.

Most of the Labour MPs behind him were comparatively quiet, not a great sign in a week where he has been rocked by another scandal involving a former aide Matthew Doyle who he elevated to the House of Lords despite links to a convicted paedophile.