Cabinet Office Launches Investigation into Labour Think Tank's Journalist Probe
The Cabinet Office has announced it will be "looking into" serious allegations that a Labour-linked think tank commissioned an investigation into journalists who reported on secret donations. Labour Together, which played a pivotal role in Sir Keir Starmer's election as Labour leader, is accused of hiring global consultancy APCO Worldwide to identify sources of reporters from The Sunday Times, The Guardian, and other media outlets.
Background of the Controversial Investigation
This investigation reportedly occurred after multiple publications ran stories about Labour Together's failure to declare more than £700,000 in donations between 2017 and 2020. According to The Sunday Times, APCO Worldwide received £36,000 to conduct this probe in 2023, during which time Josh Simons—now a Labour MP and Government minister—was leading the think tank.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the Cabinet Office investigation, stating: "There will be a Cabinet Office investigation into the allegations and quite right too. That is already in place. I didn't know anything about this investigation and it absolutely needs to be looked into, so the Cabinet Office will be establishing the facts."
Government Ministers Respond to Press Freedom Concerns
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall emphasized the importance of press freedom when questioned about Mr. Simons' involvement. "Personally, and as a Government as a whole, we absolutely value the freedom of the press," Ms. Kendall told Times Radio. She added that it was appropriate for the relevant regulatory body to investigate public affairs companies, while confirming the Cabinet Office would also examine the matter to establish all facts.
When asked about Mr. Simons' position as a minister in both her department and the Cabinet Office, Ms. Kendall responded: "He has welcomed the investigation, rightly so, by the regulatory body, the body responsible for regulating public affairs. As I said, the Cabinet Office will also be looking into the facts of this case, but it is absolutely essential that we protect the freedom of the press."
Details of the APCO Worldwide Report
The Sunday Times revealed that APCO's investigation produced a 58-page document containing information apparently designed to discredit journalists who had exposed campaign finance violations by Labour Together. The think tank had previously been fined £14,250 in September 2021 for late reporting of donations totaling £730,000 between 2017 and 2020, after referring itself to the Electoral Commission.
Ben Taylor, editor of The Sunday Times, told the Today programme: "When the report came in, Labour Together people, some of whom are now in the Cabinet, were quite happy to talk about its conclusions widely around Westminster, claim that the Sunday Times was being used by the Russian state to run disobliging stories about Labour and, frankly, cast doubt on both the title and its reporters in the run up to the general election."
Mr. Taylor described claims about foreign state involvement as "absurd" and called for honesty from Labour Together figures about their motivations. He highlighted how reporters became subject to a whispering campaign about their motivations following the report's circulation.
Personal Targeting of Journalists
According to The Sunday Times, APCO was specifically hired to examine the personal, political, and religious "backgrounds and motivations" of journalists behind the donation stories with the apparent intention of discrediting their work. Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall editor, and Harry Yorke, deputy political editor, were identified as "persons of significant interest" in the report.
The document allegedly contained nearly ten pages of deeply personal and false claims about Mr. Pogrund, including unfounded links to Russian sabotage campaigns, inappropriate comments about his Jewish heritage, and assertions about his personal relationships. In November 2023, Mr. Pogrund and Mr. Yorke had revealed Labour Together's failure to declare £730,000 of donations between 2017-2020, questioning whether this represented a deliberate cover-up by former chief executive Morgan McSweeney.
Political Fallout and Reactions
APCO's report was reportedly shared with key Labour politicians in 2024, including current Cabinet ministers and special advisers. These apparently false accusations appear to have been believed and repeated by influential figures, forming the basis of a whispering campaign against the journalists and their newspaper.
Mr. Simons reportedly ordered APCO's investigation days after the original article appeared, having succeeded Mr. McSweeney as head of Labour Together. The Scottish National Party has called for the "creepy Labour Party spy minister" to be dismissed from his position.
In response, Mr. Simons stated that APCO had exceeded its brief: "I was surprised and shocked to read the report extended beyond the contract by including unnecessary information on Gabriel Pogrund. I asked for this information to be removed before passing the report to GCHQ. No other British journalists were investigated in any document I or Labour Together ever received." He expressed support for the investigation launched by the Public Relations and Communications Association.
Broader Implications for Democracy
Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake commented: "Labour Together's behaviour shows a worrying contempt for the free press, a fundamental foundation of our democracy. With its close and widely known links to the heart of Government, serious questions must be answered about who was aware of these actions, including whether senior figures around the Prime Minister knew."
This controversy emerges alongside other Labour-related scandals, including Sir Keir Starmer's attempts to distance himself from the Mandelson-Epstein affair. The public demand for full transparency continues to grow as these interconnected issues highlight concerns about political accountability and media freedom in contemporary British politics.
