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Before his entry to Parliament, a government minister engaged a public relations and lobbying company to look into the sources used by journalists. Josh Simons, serving as Cabinet Office minister and previously the chief executive of the pro-Starmer think tank Labour Together, enlisted APCO Worldwide in 2023 to determine how reporters uncovered details about the organization’s funding.
According to a contract obtained by the BBC, APCO Worldwide was tasked with investigating the origins, funding, and sources behind a Sunday Times article concerning Labour Together, along with forthcoming works by two political writers. The investigation aimed to clarify how the media reported on Labour Together’s failure to reveal over £700,000 in donations from 2017 to 2020, an issue that first came to light via the investigative platform Democracy for Sale.
Labour Together faced a fine of £14,250 in September 2021 imposed by the Electoral Commission for late donation declarations. Addressing the matter, Josh Simons described allegations that his intent was to probe journalists as “nonsense.” He stated that APCO Worldwide was instructed to investigate “a suspected illegal hack, which had nothing to do with UK journalists at Sunday Times, Guardian or any other brilliant UK newspaper.” Simons also expressed on X that “APCO’s investigation never fully got to the bottom of this” and emphasized his respect for journalism’s role in democracy.
No official responses have been provided by Labour Together or APCO Worldwide regarding the story. A government spokesperson confirmed that “We are looking into the claims.” The think tank reportedly employed former journalist-turned-lobbyist Tom Harper from APCO Worldwide to trace sources behind reporting by outlets including The Sunday Times. APCO’s contract indicated an intention “to establish who and what are behind the coordinated attacks on Labour Together.” Their methods were to include open source research, human intelligence, and digital forensics, aiming to create evidence that could be used to shape media narratives defending Labour Together. Morgan McSweeney, Labour Together’s previous head and now Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, was not at the helm when the investigation began, a source close to him confirmed
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