On Tuesday, Matthew Doyle, who sits in the House of Lords, had the Labour whip withdrawn over his past support for Sean Morton – a former Labour councillor in Moray who was charged with possessing and distributing indecent images of children in December 2016.

Morton was suspended by Labour after he appeared in court and was later convicted, including for possessing indecent pictures of children.

Scottish Labour confirmed on Tuesday that the whip had been removed from Duncan-Glancy, who also had links to Morton, while a probe was underway.

READ MORE: Pam Duncan-Glancy replaced as Labour candidate for Glasgow seat

A Scottish Labour spokesperson told our sister title The National: “All complaints are assessed thoroughly in line with our rules and procedures.”

Duncan-Glancy previously announced that she would step down at the next election after her friendship with Morton came to light, and was removed as the party’s education spokesperson.

It emerged in January that Duncan-Glancy had maintained her relationship with Morton even after he went to prison.

Morton was spared jail for his 2017 conviction for possessing images of girls under 15 and of a couple having sex with a dog. He was handed a community payback order, which included 140 hours of unpaid work.

The Daily Record revealed in January that he had committed further offences, which led to a prison sentence.

Last year he was sentenced at Glasgow Sheriff Court to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing indecent images of children and got another 16 months for breaching his sexual offences order.

It is said that he was jailed in January, but the offences were backdated to May 2024. He was released from prison in the autumn of 2025. After his release, he celebrated Duncan-Glancy’s birthday towards the end of the year with dinner and drinks.

It comes after Doyle was suspended from Labour on Tuesday.

The Labour peer had campaigned for Morton when he ran as an independent in May 2017, despite the charges at the time.

Doyle has said Morton was maintaining his innocence at the time he backed his campaign, and that he regrets supporting him.

In a statement, he 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.”





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