Bold claim: Keir Starmer is catching heat from MPs who want a full inquiry into how a 2023 report was commissioned and what it claimed about journalists probing a Labour-linked thinktank.
Here’s the gist in clearer terms: MPs are pressing the Cabinet Office minister, Josh Simons, to open an independent review into the origins and funding of a report that alleged baseless things about journalists investigating Labour Together—the thinktank associated with Starmer’s ascent. The Guardian has reviewed documents showing Simons, then director of Labour Together, commissioned the research and later reviewed it when he held that role. The work, produced by Apco Worldwide, aimed to dissect the sourcing, funding, and origins of a November 2023 Sunday Times piece about Labour Together and other journalistic probes of the group.
Key controversy: the Sunday Times story and Apco’s findings allegedly circulated within Labour circles, including among current ministers and aides. The report reportedly made claims about journalists Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke, with sources saying it suggested the emails behind the Times article could have originated from a Kremlin-backed hack of the Electoral Commission. An APCO director and former Sunday Times journalist, Tom Harper, is named as having reviewed sources and communications in forming those allegations. There are further accusations about targeting Pogrund’s Jewish background and other personal and professional aspects.
What’s happening now: Simons, who was close to the prime minister’s former top aide Morgan McSweeney (the man who previously led Labour Together), faces scrutiny over his involvement. The Public Relations and Communications Association’s standards committee has opened an inquiry into Apco’s research, a step Simons has welcomed. He says the contract covered limited scope, and the broader claims extended beyond what was agreed, including unnecessary details about Pogrund. He adds that he requested redaction of the extra material before sharing the report with GCHQ. He also asserts that no other British journalists were examined in any materials connected to him or Labour Together.
Reaction from Labour figures: veteran MP John McDonnell has pressed for an independent inquiry, writing multiple times to Labour’s general secretary and including Starmer in the correspondence. He argues the affair, if true, is unacceptable. Another Labour MP, Karl Turner, agrees that the prime minister should personally review the situation and meet with McDonnell.
Bottom line: the contract at the heart of the dispute reveals that Simons sought information about sources for a Paul Holden book on McSweeney’s role in Starmer’s rise and related Matt Taibbi articles, tying the inquiry to broader debates about influence, media, and internal party dynamics.
What do you think: should there be an independent review, or is this an internal matter best settled within party boundaries? Do the accusations about journalists and potential political meddling alter your view of the integrity of political reporting and party processes?
