Ethics watchdog to investigate minister Josh Simons over think tank allegations

The Prime Minister’s ethics watchdog will investigate Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons following allegations a prominent think tank, which he ran before entering government, paid for a probe into journalists.

Labour Together is accused of paying PR firm Apco Worldwide £36,000 to look into the background of journalists in 2023, when Mr Simons was its director.

The journalists had covered the campaign group’s failure to declare more than £700,000 in donations.

Mr Simons, Labour MP for Makerfield in the North West, has faced calls to resign from his ministerial post.

The issue has been referred to independent adviser on ministerial standards Sir Laurie Magnus, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones said.

Sir Keir Starmer previously said he “didn’t know anything about this investigation”, which had been ordered by Labour Together, before instructing the Cabinet Office to “establish the facts”.

In the Commons on Monday, Mr Jones said: “That work has now concluded and the facts have been reported to the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister has been advised that the matter should be referred now to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, which the Prime Minister has done today.

“This is not a new process, but a continuation of the process the Prime Minister has started, and the Prime Minister will make a judgement when he has received the advice from the independent adviser.

“This will happen very soon, and his advice to the Prime Minister will be made public in the normal way.”

Freedom of the press

Mr Jones insisted freedom of the press is a “cornerstone of our democracy”, and the Government is committed to upholding and protecting that freedom.

Labour Together is said to have hired Apco Worldwide, which then allegedly investigated reporters from The Sunday Times, The Guardian and other outlets to identify their sources after reports emerged about the think tank.

The PR firm’s probe is said to have resulted in a 58-page report, which included details designed to discredit reporters who had looked into campaign finance breaches by the think tank.

The think tank 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.

John McDonnell, secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) parliamentary group, said the alleged action taken by Labour Together “at the moment does not pass the smell test”.

The Labour former shadow chancellor told the Commons “ministers have received donations” from the organisation and continued: “The scale of those donations from Labour Together is shocking, to be frank.

“It’s almost as though an organisation has bought a political party.”

Mr McDonnell asked: “Is it true that the independent adviser will investigate the whole sequence of events around this with regard to Labour Together, not just the role of this individual MP, now a junior minister within Government, during that period whilst he was an MP or a minister, but we get the full truth of what went on?”

Mr Jones replied the watchdog had a “remit to investigate ministers on behalf of the Prime Minister in relation to concerns that the Government has standing to ask those questions”.

Mr McDonnell shouted “it’s a whitewash” from his seat after Mr Jones continued: “Any questions about what happened or did not happen within Labour Together as a private organisation is a matter for the board of Labour Together.”

Surveillance

Rebecca Long Bailey, who is also a Labour former shadow cabinet member and chairs the NUJ’s group, said surveillance and political intimidation of journalists were “not being adequately investigated”.

She called for an “urgent independent and transparent inquiry into the activities of Labour Together and Apco” and “stronger legislation to prevent the corporate surveillance of journalists”.

And Labour MP for Blyth and Ashington Ian Lavery said: “I’m not sure who Labour Together are, what they are, what their purpose is – I’ve got no idea whatsoever.”

Asked for a wider investigation “into the entire operations of Labour Together”, Mr Jones replied that the think tank was a private organisation.

“It is a question for its board what it does in relation to its conduct,” he added.

“And as I’ve said already to the House, any donations that have been received by individual members of the House, whether from Labour Together or from other organisations, have, as far as I’m aware, all been declared in line with the rules, and there’s been no accusations otherwise.”

When the exchange concluded, Jon Trickett referred to an answer which Mr Jones gave, when the minister said he “did not receive one pound in money from Labour Together”.

The Commons register of financial interests published before the last general election showed Mr Jones received support from the organisation to a value totalling more than £57,000.

Mr Trickett, the Labour MP for Normanton and Hemsworth, said he accepted the support “wasn’t in cash” but added: “On the other hand, the minister has received a significant amount of money.”

‘Seconded time’

Mr Jones replied: “I’ve not received one pound in cash from Labour Together, which was the suggestion from some members in the House.

“Instead, I received some hours of seconded time from staff whilst in opposition who were providing policy research to my role when I was in the shadow cabinet, which was normal at that time, whether in relation to Labour Together, trade unions or other organisations.

“And I’m very happy to confirm that those were declared in the proper way – there’s been no breach of the rules and I’m happy to declare them to the House today.”

Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart earlier said: “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.

“As of today, it is very difficult to see how the minister’s position is tenable.”