Keir Starmer opens investigation into Josh Simons over targeting of reporters

"Keir Starmer has opened a formal investigation into a Cabinet Office minister involved in falsely accusing journalists of having links to pro-Russian propaganda. The prime minister's decision follows revelations in the Guardian that Josh Simons, who was running the thinktank Labour Together at the time, was also involved in telling British intelligence officials that another journalist was living with the daughter of a former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn."

"Officials were told by Simons's team that the former adviser was suspected of links to Russian intelligence. The prime minister has asked his independent adviser on ministerial standards, Laurie Magnus, to examine Simons's conduct. Magnus's involvement was first reported by the Observer. Simons is under growing pressure about his commissioning of an American PR company, APCO, to examine the sourcing, funding and origin behind a November 2023 story published by the Sunday Times that raised questions about 730,000 in undeclared donations to Labour Together."

"He has in recent days claimed he was disturbed to find the APCO report had delved into unnecessary information about one of the story's journalists. But the emails show how, weeks after receiving the report, he was involved in naming the same journalist in an email to security officials. The emails show Simons pressing the officials to investigate the sourcing behind article. But despite the accusations, the information was not obtained via a hack and the evidence of Russian involvement was nonexistent."

Keir Starmer has asked independent adviser Laurie Magnus to examine Josh Simons's conduct after revelations that Simons falsely accused journalists of pro‑Russian links. Simons, who ran Labour Together at the time, told British intelligence that a journalist was living with the daughter of a former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn, whom his team said was suspected of links to Russian intelligence. Simons hired US PR firm APCO to probe a Sunday Times story about undeclared donations. Emails show Simons named and urged officials to investigate a journalist, yet no evidence of Russian involvement or a hack was found. Simons faces a Cabinet Office ethics inquiry while Downing Street expressed confidence.

Read at www.theguardian.com