Labour Thinktank Under Fire Following Minister's Resignation Over Controversial Report
Labour Together, the influential thinktank credited with helping Keir Starmer secure victory in the recent general election, is facing intense political pressure as multiple Labour MPs and opposition figures demand Prime Minister Starmer distance himself from the organization. The controversy stems from a damaging report commissioned by the thinktank that falsely linked journalists to pro-Kremlin propaganda networks.
Minister Resigns Over Smear Campaign Revelations
Josh Simons, who served as director of Labour Together at the time, resigned from his position as Cabinet Office minister on Saturday following revelations about the thinktank's activities. Simons had commissioned a £36,000 report from lobbying firm Apco in November 2023 to investigate journalists from the Sunday Times, Guardian, and independent outlets who were examining Labour Together's failure to declare more than £700,000 in donations between 2017 and 2020.
The Apco report went far beyond its original scope, delving into the personal backgrounds, faith, upbringing, and professional relationships of targeted journalists. Most damagingly, the report falsely connected these journalists to pro-Kremlin propaganda networks, a claim that Simons himself repeated in emails to GCHQ, Britain's intelligence and security organization.
Political Fallout and Calls for Action
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Starmer to sever all connections with Labour Together and return any donations received from the organization. "Simons has resigned so it's clear Labour Together is utterly finished as an organization," Badenoch stated. "Keir Starmer must tell us immediately if he will now end Labour Together's links with his government and return the tainted money they've donated."
Within Labour's own ranks, dissatisfaction with the party's response has emerged. MP Karl Turner suggested on social media platform X that a wider investigation into Labour Together's activities was necessary, while Clive Lewis criticized the delayed response to the scandal, noting that Simons should have resigned or been dismissed weeks earlier.
Thinktank Leadership Distances Itself
Sally Morgan, a Labour peer and chair of Labour Together's board, issued a statement distancing the organization from Simons' actions. "The scope of the work carried out by Apco, commissioned by the then director of Labour Together, was indefensible," Morgan declared. "The board was not shown the contract with Apco. Nor was the Apco report shared with the board."
Morgan emphasized that Labour Together has implemented significant changes, including establishing an audit and risk committee and creating a whistleblower policy. She described the organization as making a "clean break from the past while continuing to support Labour in power."
Investigation Findings and Aftermath
Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister's independent adviser on ministerial standards, conducted a formal investigation into Simons' conduct. While Magnus concluded that Simons had not technically breached the ministerial code, he noted that the minister's continued presence in government created "distraction and potential reputational damage."
In his resignation letter, Simons maintained that he never intended to smear the journalists targeted by Apco, stating that he commissioned the investigation to determine whether Labour Together's confidential material had been compromised through a hack of the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission had previously fined Labour Together for its reporting failures during the period when Morgan McSweeney, who later became Starmer's chief of staff, was involved with the organization.
Prime Minister Starmer accepted Simons' resignation, emphasizing that "it is essential that journalists are able to carry out their work without fear or favour, including holding politicians of all parties to account on behalf of the public we serve."
The scandal continues to raise questions about transparency and accountability within political thinktanks and their relationships with government officials, particularly as Labour Together played such a significant role in Starmer's path to power.
