Labour minister at centre of journalist smear scandal resigns

The Labor Minister accused of paying a PR firm to smear journalists has resigned, saying he was ‘a distraction from the important work of this Government’.

Josh Simons has faced calls to resign as a minister over allegations he commissioned a damaging newspaper article while he was head of think tank Labor Together.

American PR firm APCO Worldwide produced a confidential report into the 2023 Sunday Times story, revealing Labor Together failed to disclose £730,000 in donations while it was run by Morgan McSweeney, who later became Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.

In his resignation letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Simons said: ‘It is clear that my retention in office has now led to a distraction from the important work of government.

‘Therefore, it is with sadness and regret that I submit my resignation.’

Mr Simons, who is also the Labor MP for Makerfield, has previously dismissed claims that he commissioned it as ‘nonsense’.

The investigation into the allegations was announced on Monday, just hours after Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer continued to have full confidence in Mr Simons.

The investigation, led by Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on ministerial standards, is looking into Mr Simon’s time in charge of the Labor Together think tank between 2022 and 2024.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in September last year. Labor Together think tank backs Starmer’s Labor Party leadership bid

The group that helped elect Sir Keir as Labor leader is said to have hired a PR firm to investigate journalists reporting on its funds.

APCO Worldwide was reportedly paid £36,000 in 2023 to examine reporters’ personal, political and religious ‘backgrounds and motivations’.

The investigation is said to follow the publication of stories about Labor Together’s failure to declare donations of more than £700,000.

A 58-page dossier prepared by APCO reportedly contains pages of highly personal and unfounded allegations about the Sunday Times’ Whitehall editor, Gabriel Pogrund.

The Prime Minister’s Chief Secretary Darren Jones told the House of Commons on Monday that Sir Keir had asked Sir Laurie to investigate Mr Simons following the conclusion of an investigative study by the Cabinet Office’s etiquette and ethics team (PET).

It was previously reported that Mr Simons mistakenly messaged details of his case to a WhatsApp group of Labor MPs.

In an apparent reference to Labor Chief Jonathan Reynolds, he is said to have written: ‘Jonny called, will ask Prime Minister Laurie to look into the matter. The goal is to move quickly. But PET realized I hadn’t cracked the code.’

Mr Simons, a strong ally of Sir Keir, has previously said it was ‘absurd’ to claim he wanted to investigate journalists.

He also claimed he was ‘surprised and shocked’ by APCO’s decision to include ‘unnecessary information’ about Mr Pogrund because it ‘extended beyond the contract’.

But leaked details of the contract confirmed APCO had been asked to investigate the ‘source, funding and origins’ of a newspaper article about Labor Together’s donations.

In a confirmation letter sent to Mr Simons, the firm promised to ‘provide a body of evidence that can be packaged for use in the media’.

Mr Simons also allegedly passed on the findings of the investigation to the National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC) and suggested it investigate whether Labor Together had been targeted by a Russian operation to undermine Sir Keir.

A spokesman for Mr Simons denied the allegations. They said, ‘These allegations are not true.’

Mr Simons, a strong ally of Sir Keir, has previously said it was ‘absurd’ to claim he wanted to investigate journalists.

The allegations have put pressure on Mr Simons to resign, with more than 20 Labor MPs calling on the Prime Minister and Labor general secretary Hollie Ridley to call for an independent investigation into Labor Together’s actions.

In a letter seen by the Telegraph, MPs said: ‘We note our concerns that any investigation carried out or overseen by Government departments involving people with past or present links to Labor Together risks undermining public confidence, regardless of the final findings.

‘Even the perception of bias can cause lasting damage to trust in our democratic institutions.’

They added: ‘At a time when trust in politics remains fragile, it is imperative that these allegations are dealt with in a way that upholds the highest standards of integrity and accountability.’

Rachael Maskell, Labor MP for York Central, one of the signatories of the letter, said: ‘It is vital that we defend the freedom of journalists and I am appalled that Labor Together is trying to undermine them.

‘Only an independent investigation can provide confidence. ‘I want honesty and transparency at the heart of policy so that the Cabinet Office cannot investigate the Labor Party together when its former director remains a minister in the Cabinet Office.’

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘Journalism and a free press are the foundation of every democracy and every reporter should be able to do their job without fear of favoritism.

‘It is true that there was an internal process carried out by officials in the PET team to establish the facts of the matter.’

Labor Together was fined £14,250 in September 2021 for late reporting of donations after it referred itself to the Electoral Commission; these fines totaled £730,000 between 2017 and 2020.

APCO said it was conducting a ‘detailed internal review of the project’.

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