Matthew Doyle, a former communications chief to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has joined the Malta Film Commission as a strategic adviser.
According to a report by the UK government’s advisory committee on business appointments, Doyle was initially engaged in June, ahead of the Mediterranee Film Festival, with his role focusing on promoting the festival within the US market.
However, Doyle will continue to work with the film commission on a part-time retainer basis, focusing on strategic communications, the report says.
The Mediterranee Film Festival has long faced accusations of lavish spending and a lack of transparency. In July, Times of Malta reported that this year’s edition of the festival cost €5m, a similar figure to last year’s edition.
Doyle had already worked with the film commission before joining Starmer’s communications team, the report points out.
“His previous role was to give strategic communications on how to promote Malta as a location for filming (similarly to his proposed appointment),” the report says.
Doyle sought the committee’s blessing to take on work at the film commission, in line with the British government’s rules designed to prevent conflicts of interest and misuse of inside information.
The committee green-lit Doyle’s appointment, provided he does not draw on privileged information that was available to him during his time as a special adviser, is not involved in lobbying the UK government and does not advise the film commission on work linked to the UK government.
Doyle has a long history with the UK’s Labour Party.
He first joined the party in 1998 as press officer, before moving into advisory roles, initially as special adviser to then-work and pensions minister David Blunkett in 2005.
A few months later, he was appointed Tony Blair’s special adviser and continued to work with Blair for several years after the latter gave up his premiership, overseeing communications for the various charities run by the former PM.
He later set up his own consultancy and worked with several charities, including emergency relief charity International Rescue, alongside former Labour minister Ed Miliband.
It was during this spell that Doyle reportedly first worked with the film commission.
In 2021, he took over communications for the then-opposition leader Keir Starmer and was named Downing Street Director of Communications when the party rose to power in July 2024.
Doyle stepped down from the role less than a year later.
Neither Doyle’s pay packet at the Malta Film Commission nor was his salary during his time as a Downing Street special adviser has been publicly disclosed.
At the time, the BBC reported that Doyle earned as much as £140,000 (€162,000) per year.
UK government records show that the advisers who took over Doyle’s duties currently earn up to £150,000 (approximately €173,000) per year.