Labour MPs Demand Inquiry into Thinktank's Alleged Smear Campaign Against Journalists
Labour MPs are intensifying calls for an independent inquiry into a controversial report commissioned by a thinktank associated with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which allegedly made baseless and unacceptable claims about journalists. The pressure mounts on Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons, who oversaw the research while serving as director of Labour Together, a thinktank instrumental in Starmer's rise to power.
Details of the Commissioned Report
In 2023, Simons commissioned a report from the public relations consultancy Apco Worldwide to investigate the sources and funding behind journalistic inquiries into Labour Together. According to documents reviewed by the Guardian, the agreement specifically targeted a November 2023 Sunday Times article and other investigations into the thinktank. The report, informally shared with Labour figures in 2024, included unfounded allegations about Sunday Times journalists Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke, suggesting their reporting might be linked to a suspected Kremlin hack of the Electoral Commission.
Tom Harper, a senior director at Apco and former Sunday Times employee, conducted the investigation using documents and discreet human sources. His findings reportedly contained baseless claims, including references to Pogrund's Jewish background and speculative assertions about his personal and professional relationships. Simons has stated he was surprised by the inclusion of such unnecessary information and requested its removal before forwarding the report to GCHQ, the intelligence agency.
Political Fallout and Calls for Accountability
Veteran Labour backbencher John McDonnell has been vocal in demanding transparency, having written three times to the Labour party's general secretary to call for an independent inquiry, with copies sent to Keir Starmer. McDonnell emphasized that if the allegations are true, smearing journalists is unacceptable, highlighting his role as secretary of the National Union of Journalists' parliamentary group. Another Labour MP, Karl Turner, has urged the prime minister to personally investigate the matter and meet with McDonnell to address concerns.
The controversy also implicates Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's recently departed chief of staff, who previously ran Labour Together and is under scrutiny for his potential involvement in gathering material on journalists. In response, Simons has welcomed an investigation launched by the Public Relations and Communications Association's standards committee into Apco's research practices.
Broader Implications and Ongoing Scrutiny
The contract for the report extended beyond the Sunday Times investigation, also seeking information on sources for a book by Paul Holden about McSweeney's role in Starmer's ascent and related articles by US journalist Matt Taibbi. This has raised questions about the ethics of targeting journalists and the use of thinktank resources for such purposes. As Labour faces internal and external pressure, the affair underscores ongoing tensions within the party and its handling of media relations, with MPs insisting on accountability to uphold journalistic integrity and political transparency.
