Labour Minister Received Intelligence Files on Journalists Investigating Thinktank
A Labour minister serving in the Cabinet Office was provided with intelligence files compiled on journalists who were investigating the pro-Starmer thinktank that played a crucial role in his rise to power, according to exclusive sources speaking to the Guardian. The documents were personally given to Josh Simons, now a minister, during his tenure as chair of Labour Together.
Close Ties to Starmer's Inner Circle
Simons maintains a close relationship with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who previously ran Labour Together. McSweeney's own involvement in the operation to gather material on journalists is currently under intense scrutiny. The files contained detailed reports produced by the global PR firm APCO Worldwide, focusing on journalists from outlets including the Guardian and the Sunday Times. These journalists had reported on irregularities within the thinktank's funding arrangements.
APCO's investigation reportedly sought to identify the journalists' confidential sources. Sources confirmed that Simons received a direct briefing from APCO on its final report, which included findings drawn from an examination of the journalists who had investigated Labour Together. This disclosure about Simons' personal knowledge of the private investigation presents another significant challenge for Starmer and his most senior aide, McSweeney.
Mounting Pressure and Calls for Resignation
The revelation comes after a week where both Starmer and McSweeney faced calls for their resignation over connections to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal involving Peter Mandelson. Under McSweeney's leadership, Labour Together was instrumental in Starmer's victory in the battle to succeed Jeremy Corbyn and remained closely allied with the Labour leader even after Simons assumed charge.
APCO's work to investigate the journalists was first reported by the Substack publication Democracy for Sale. Downing Street has consistently refused to confirm whether McSweeney was aware of the decision to hire APCO. However, two separate sources told the Guardian that McSweeney remained intimately involved with the organisation's strategy even after his formal departure. One source stated unequivocally: "There was never any distance between Labour Together and Morgan, even after he left."
Internal Backlash and Demands for Investigation
Earlier on Friday, numerous Labour MPs called for an immediate investigation and a comprehensive "clearout" in Downing Street following the emergence of the thinktank's relationship with APCO. The former shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, described the investigation into journalists as "truly shocking" in a formal letter to the Labour party's general secretary, Hollie Ridley.
McDonnell wrote: "If the reports of [Labour Together's] activities in surveilling journalists are accurate it is clear that this organisation and its operators and controllers are bringing our party into disrepute." Labour MP Kim Johnson added: "What's been exposed shows McSweeney's operation is rotten to the core. We're told the adults are in the room. If this is their idea of leadership, No 10 needs gutting from top to bottom."
Background of Funding Irregularities
Questions regarding Labour Together's funding first surfaced in February 2021 after its interim leadership reported itself to the Electoral Commission for the late reporting of £740,000 in donations. The thinktank was subsequently fined £14,250 in September 2021. In November 2023, a Sunday Times investigation alleged that it was McSweeney who had failed to declare the donations between 2017 and 2020.
The undeclared funds are said to have financed polling and campaigning efforts that directly supported Starmer's ascent to the Labour leadership. McSweeney did not comment on this specific allegation at the time. He formally left Labour Together in April 2020 upon becoming Starmer's chief of staff. Sources close to McSweeney have stated that he did not make the decision to hire APCO and that it was solely a matter for Labour Together.
Scope of the APCO Investigation
By the time of the Sunday Times investigation, Labour Together was being led by Simons. APCO was commissioned following concerns within the thinktank that the published information may have originated from a potential data breach, a source informed the Guardian. Internal reports prepared by APCO for Labour Together named several journalists as "significant persons of interest," including Sunday Times reporters Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke, the Guardian's Henry Dyer, Declassified UK's John McEvoy, and journalists from other outlets.
The investigation aimed to "identify the source of the information and to ascertain what additional information could be published" by journalists about Labour Together. APCO's research involved a thorough examination of stories and social media posts authored by the journalists. The work was led at APCO by Tom Harper, a former Sunday Times journalist, who provided direct briefings to Simons, according to sources.
Democracy for Sale has alleged that Labour Together paid the PR firm at least £30,000 to identify the source of stories concerning its funding. The briefings supplied to the thinktank by APCO suggested one possible source for the Sunday Times story was a Russian or Chinese hack of the Electoral Commission.
Questions Over Ministerial Role
Simons's receipt of APCO's research, which focused on journalists conducting public interest investigations into the finances of the thinktank he led, has raised serious questions about his current role as a Cabinet Office minister. Labour Together declined to comment on the matter. One individual who has previously worked with the group described the decision to hire investigators as "bizarre," adding: "I've never come across anything like it in my political life." Another simply called it "weird."
One Labour MP stated bluntly: "If the prime minister wants to regain the support of the parliamentary Labour party, he has got to get Morgan the hell out of the party. Otherwise he will end up bringing it into disrepute." Both Simons and Harper did not respond to requests for comment on these latest disclosures.
