Labour minister being probed by Keir Starmer's ethics tsar

A Labour minister is now being probed by Sir Keir Starmer's ethics tsar over their alleged role in a 'smear campaign' targeting journalists.

Josh Simons, the Cabinet Office minister, will be investigated by Sir Laurie Magnus, who is the Prime Minister's independent adviser on ministerial standards.

The inquiry by Sir Laurie was announced on Monday only hours after Downing Street said Sir Keir continues to have full confidence in Mr Simons.

Mr Simons, who is also Labour MP for Makerfield, is facing questions over his time in charge of the Labour Together think tank between 2022 and 2024.

The group, which helped Sir Keir get elected as Labour leader, is said to have hired a PR firm to investigate journalists reporting on its funding.

APCO Worldwide is reported to have been paid £36,000 to examine the personal, political and religious 'backgrounds and motivations' of reporters in 2023.

The investigation is said to have taken place after stories were published about Labour Together's failure to declare more than £700,000 in donations.

A 58-page dossier by APCO is reported to have included pages of deeply personal and false claims about Sunday Times' Whitehall editor Gabriel Pogrund.

Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, on Monday told the House of Commons that Sir Keir had asked Sir Laurie to investigate Mr Simons following the conclusion of a fact-finding exercise by the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team (PET).

The PM will 'make a judgement' about Mr Simons' future once he has received advice from Sir Laurie, Mr Jones said. He told MPs the advice from Sir Laurie will 'happen very soon'.

Senior Tory MP Alex Burghart, the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said it was 'difficult to see' Mr Simons' position is tenable.

'This looks to all intents and purposes like a deliberate attempt to smear and intimidate journalists whose only crime had been to report that Labour Together had broken electoral law,' he said of the allegations against Mr Simons.

Mr Simons was earlier reported to have accidentally messaged details of his case to a WhatsApp group of Labour MPs.

In an apparent reference to Labour Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds, he is said to have written: 'Jonny rang, PM will ask Laurie to look in to it. Aim is to move fast. But PET did find I had not broken the code.'

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

He also claimed to be 'surprised and shocked' by APCO's decision to include 'unnecessary information' on Mr Pogrund, as it had 'extended beyond the contract'.

But leaked details of the contract confirmed APCO was asked to investigate the 'sourcing, funding and origins' of a newspaper article about Labour Together's donations.

In a confirmation letter to Mr Simons, the firm promised to 'provide a body of evidence that could be packaged up for use in the media'.

It has also been claimed that Mr Simons passed the findings of the inquiry to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), suggesting that it investigate whether Labour Together had been targeted by a Russian operation to undermine Sir Keir.

A spokesperson for Mr Simons denied the allegations. 'These claims are untrue,' they said. 

The claims have piled pressure on Mr Simons, who is facing calls to resign.

More than 20 Labour MPs had written to the PM and Hollie Ridley, Labour's general secretary, to demand an independent investigation into Labour Together's actions.

In a letter seen by the Telegraph, the MPs said: 'We note concerns that any investigation led or overseen by Government departments containing individuals with past or present links to Labour Together risks undermining public trust, regardless of eventual findings.

'Even the perception of partiality can cause lasting damage to confidence in our democratic institutions.'

They added: 'At a time when trust in politics remains fragile, it is imperative that these allegations are addressed in a manner that upholds the highest standards of integrity and accountability.'

Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central and a signatory to the letter, said: 'It is vital that we defend the freedom of journalists and I am appalled that Labour Together sought to undermine them.

'Only an independent inquiry could instil confidence. I want integrity and transparency at the heart of politics so the Cabinet Office cannot investigate Labour Together when its former director remains a minister in the Cabinet Office.'

The PM's official spokesman said: 'Journalism and the free press are fundamental to any democracy and any reporters must be able to do their jobs without fear of favour.

'It's right that there's an internal process led by officials in the PET team to establish the facts of the matter.'

Asked if Sir Keir continued to have full confidence in Mr Simons, the PM's spokesman replied: 'Yes.'

Labour Together was fined £14,250 in September 2021 over late reporting of donations, totalling £730,000 between 2017 and 2020, after referring itself to the Electoral Commission. 

APCO has said it is undertaking a 'detailed internal review of the project'.