Josh Simons, 32, the Labour MP for Makerfield and Cabinet Office minister, resigned on Saturday after the Guardian revealed he had falsely linked reporters to a 'pro-Kremlin' network in emails to GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre — despite having publicly claimed to be 'surprised' and 'furious' about the PR firm's investigation into those same journalists. The resignation followed a formal investigation by the prime minister's independent adviser on ministerial standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, who concluded Simons had not breached the ministerial code but that there was 'distraction and potential reputational damage' in his remaining in government. Simons said his position had become 'a distraction from this government's important work.' The operational sequence is worth laying out precisely because it reveals the mechanism. In November 2023, Simons — then running the thinktank Labour Together — personally commissioned the lobbying and public affairs agency APCO for £36,000 to 'investigate the sourcing, funding and origins of a Sunday Times article about Labour Together.' The Sunday Times story, which raised fresh questions about £730,000 of undeclared donations to Labour Together, was supplied material by freelance journalist Paul Holden. The contract scope extended to investigating Holden and American reporter Matt Taibbi, with the stated aim of establishing 'who and what are behind the coordinated attacks on Labour Together.' The contract's deliverable was explicit: APCO would provide 'a body of evidence that could be packaged up for use in the media in order to create narratives that would proactively undermine any future attacks on Labour Together.' The APCO report made baseless allegations about Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund's faith, upbringing and personal and professional relationships. It also contained information about at least three other journalists: Holden, Taibbi, and Andrew Murray of the Morning Star. When the report's existence became public, Simons claimed to be 'surprised and shocked to read the report extended beyond the contract by including unnecessary information' about Pogrund. He told Magnus the terms of reference were 'wider than he had understood and that he acted too hastily in confirming their appointment without the benefit of legal advice.' Magnus noted Simons 'acknowledges that this perceived gap between his public statements and what he now accepts appears to be a more extensive scope has been damaging.' The escalation to state security apparatus is the most consequential element. After receiving the APCO report, Simons and his chief of staff emailed the NCSC, naming Pogrund and his Sunday Times colleague Harry Yorke and suggesting their story could be linked to a Russian disinformation campaign. They told the NCSC they suspected the article might be linked to a wider 'coordinated effort to discredit' Labour Together in order to undermine Starmer and his then chief adviser, Morgan McSweeney. They sent a truncated version of the APCO report to NCSC officials and claimed Holden could be linked to 'people known to be operating in a pro-Kremlin propaganda network with links to Russian intelligence.' The NCSC never opened an investigation. However, a law firm representing Labour Together told another newspaper in mid-February 2023 that it could not comment on questions about the donations 'due to ongoing investigations by the UK Intelligence services' — an investigation that did not exist. There is no credible evidence any of the journalists were involved in a pro-Russian campaign. Holden recently showed the Guardian his source materials, which indicate the story was based on files leaked from the Labour party by whistleblowers. The underlying journalism — reporting on £730,000 of undeclared donations — was legitimate accountability reporting about a political organisation that went on to become a significant influence in the current government. In his resignation letter, Simons said he had never sought to 'smear newspaper reporters' and praised the work of Pogrund, Yorke and Guardian journalist Henry Dyer as sustaining democracy. He did not address why he had claimed never to have received information about any journalist other than Pogrund, when the report contained information on at least three others. Keir Starmer accepted the resignation and said: '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.' Labour Together chair Sally Morgan — appointed in September 2024 — described the scope of the APCO report as 'indefensible' and said there had since been a governance review, including establishing an audit and risk committee and a whistleblower policy. Newly appointed CEO Alison Phillips said: 'We are improving our governance arrangements and will learn the necessary lessons of the past.'
