Labour minister resigns amid probe into smear campaign against journalists

"Labour MP Josh Simons has dramatically resigned as a Cabinet Office minister amid an ethics probe into claims a Labour think tank he previously ran paid for an investigation to smear journalists. Mr Simons said he was stepping down the Cabinet Office role in the engine of government because he had 'become a distraction from this government's important work'."

"Mr Simons has always denied the allegations claiming that APCO had only been taken on to deal with a leak of confidential information from Labour Together, but demands for him to be sacked had only continued to increase."

"The resignation is another blow for the embattled prime minister who has been weakened since the new year and facing a potential coup from Labour MPs."

Labour MP Josh Simons has resigned from his Cabinet Office minister position, citing that he had become a distraction from the government's work. The resignation follows an ethics investigation into allegations that Labour Together, a think tank he previously directed, paid PR company APCO to conduct a smear campaign against journalists. Simons denied the accusations, claiming APCO was hired solely to address a confidential information leak from the think tank. Despite his denials, pressure for his removal intensified. The resignation represents another setback for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose position has weakened since the new year amid potential internal party challenges.

Read at www.independent.co.uk