Sir Keir Starmer's former director of communications was welcomed into a gathering of senior No 10 officials and party staff last week despite being suspended as a Labour peer.

Lord Doyle was ousted from the party for his links to a convicted sex offender.

Despite the charges, Doyle campaigned for Morton when he ran as an independent in May 2017, knocking on doors wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Re-elect Sean Morton”.

Despite the suspension, Doyle attended leaving drinks briefly at Labour HQ attended by Jill Cuthbertson, the acting Downing Street chief of staff, Lord Alli, the Labour donor, and former Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

The Times, who first reported the story, said the gathering was held for Marianna McFadden, the party’s deputy general-secretary and wife of work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden, who is exiting her role.

MPs reacted with fury earlier this month after the disgraced peer was spotted attending the House of Lords.

Lord Doyle's suspension from the upper chamber in February coincided with Lord Mandelson's sacking as US ambassador, and saw Kemi Badenoch accuse the Prime Minister of "stuffing government with hypocrites and paedophile apologists".

Messages between Doyle and Mandelson were released in the latest tranche of documents published by the government in relation to the latter's appointment to the top job in Washington.

Doyle said: "Mandelson's appointment should never have happened and I regret the message it sent to Epstein's victims and beyond.

"It was clearly wrong and I apologise for any part I played in that process."