Labour minister Josh Simons faces Cabinet Office investigation in Westminster after leaked APCO report targets Sunday Times journalists over undeclared donations row

Westminster was gripped by fresh controversy last night after a Labour minister found himself under mounting pressure over claims that a PR firm was hired to dig into journalists who had written an uncomfortable story.

At the centre of the row is Josh Simons, now facing a Cabinet Office investigation.

The probe relates to events during his time running the think-tank Labour Together, long considered influential within Labour’s policy orbit.

The accusation is serious: that a US communications giant was commissioned not simply to examine allegations, but to gather material that could be used to counter – or discredit – those behind the reporting.

The Sunday Times Story That Sparked It All

The controversy traces back to a 2023 investigation by The Sunday Times, which revealed that Labour Together had failed to properly declare £730,000 in donations during the period when it was led by Morgan McSweeney.

McSweeney would later become chief of staff to Keir Starmer, a rise that made the omissions more politically combustible.

Transparency rules around political donations are not optional add-ons in British politics; they sit at the heart of public trust.

Any suggestion that reporting requirements were missed inevitably attracts regulatory and reputational scrutiny.

While no criminal wrongdoing was established, the optics were damaging enough.

Enter APCO Worldwide

To respond to the fallout, Labour Together hired APCO Worldwide, a major American public affairs consultancy with global reach.

Previously, Mr Simons had brushed off claims that he had commissioned a “smear” as “nonsense”.

But leaked contractual details appear to tell a more complicated story.

According to those documents, APCO was asked to examine the “sourcing, funding and origins” of the article and even to look into forthcoming work by two freelance journalists involved in supplying background material.

In a confirmation letter, the firm reportedly promised to assemble evidence “that could be packaged up for use in the media”.

The methods outlined were striking: “human intelligence”, forensic accounting and digital forensic investigation.

For critics, that language sounded less like routine crisis management and more like counter-intelligence.

The final product ran to 58 pages and cost £36,000.

Allegations of Russian Links

The report is said to have portrayed two reporters as participants in a Russian campaign designed to undermine Sir Keir’s reputation.

Among them was journalist Gabriel Pogrund, who reportedly found himself the subject of deeply personal and allegedly false claims within the document.

Mr Simons has insisted he was “surprised and shocked” that material concerning Mr Pogrund was included, arguing that such content extended beyond what had been agreed in the contract.

Yet further leaked emails revealed that Mr Simons forwarded the report’s findings to the National Cyber Security Centre, suggesting it consider whether Labour Together had been targeted by a Russian hacking operation.

That move has added another layer of intrigue.

The NCSC, part of GCHQ, typically deals with serious cyber threats, not political disputes between think-tanks and newspapers.

Critics argue that invoking national security agencies in a row over reporting risks escalating political damage into something much more dramatic.

Pressure Mounts Inside and Outside Labour

The revelations have intensified calls for Mr Simons to step down. Opposition figures have been blunt.

Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesman Lisa Smart said she was “appalled” by what she described as smear tactics.

Privately, some senior Labour figures are said to be concerned that the saga could drag on, creating an unwanted distraction for a government keen to project stability and seriousness in office.

The party has worked hard under Sir Keir to shake off past accusations of factional infighting and murky internal politics.

APCO has announced a “detailed internal review” into the project, a sign that the company recognises the reputational stakes involved.

Why This Matters Beyond One Minister

This row lands at an awkward moment for Labour.

Since entering government, the party has sought to emphasise transparency and higher standards in public life.

Allegations that a senior figure authorised an inquiry perceived as targeting journalists cut against that message.

The UK has a long and sometimes fraught history between politicians and the press.

From the phone-hacking scandal that engulfed Fleet Street more than a decade ago to recent debates about media regulation and online disinformation, trust remains fragile.

Any suggestion that political actors are attempting to intimidate reporters risks igniting broader concerns about press freedom.

There is also the international dimension.

Claims of Russian interference in Western politics have become more common since 2016, when US intelligence agencies concluded that Moscow sought to influence the American presidential election.

In Britain, concerns have surfaced around cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.

However, invoking such threats requires careful handling and credible evidence.

What’s next?

The Cabinet Office investigation will now be pivotal.

Its findings will determine whether Mr Simons breached ministerial standards or misused public resources.

If the inquiry concludes that the commissioning of the report crossed ethical lines, pressure to resign could become overwhelming.

Conversely, if investigators find procedural compliance and no improper intent, he may weather the storm — though political scars often linger even after formal exoneration.

Attention will also turn to whether further details of the 58-page report emerge.

Should more content become public, especially regarding the claims about journalists, the fallout could intensify.

For Sir Keir, the challenge is balancing loyalty with accountability.

Any perception of shielding allies could undermine his reformist image.

Summary

A Labour minister, Josh Simons, is under investigation after leaked documents revealed that US firm APCO Worldwide was commissioned to examine the origins of a damaging The Sunday Times article about undeclared donations linked to Labour Together.

The resulting report allegedly suggested journalists were tied to a Russian campaign and included controversial personal material.

Mr Simons denies wrongdoing but forwarded the findings to the National Cyber Security Centre, adding to the drama.

With a Cabinet Office investigation underway and calls for resignation growing, the political consequences are far from settled.