Keir Starmer appoints 25 Labour peers to strengthen support in House of Lords

Labour says appointments needed to balance upper house, and chooses former advisers to No 10 and the chancellor

Keir Starmer has appointed 25 Labour peers including a number of former senior government and party aides in an attempt to strengthen his hand in the House of Lords.

Matthew Doyle, a former No 10 director of communications, and Katie Martin, a former chief of staff to Rachel Reeves, will be among those appointed to the upper house in a move first reported by the Guardian.