"The files contained reports produced by the PR firm APCO Worldwide on journalists at outlets including the Guardian and the Sunday Times who had reported on irregularities in the thinktank's funding. APCO also sought to identify the journalists' sources. Simons received a briefing from APCO on its final report, sources said, which included findings drawn from examination of the journalists who had investigated Labour Together."
"APCO's work to investigate the journalists was first reported by the Substack publication Democracy for Sale. Downing Street has refused to say whether McSweeney also knew about the hiring of APCO. Two sources told the Guardian he was intimately involved with the strategy of the organisation even after leaving. One said: There was never any distance between Labour Together and Morgan, even after he left. I never quite understood what the point of it was."
Josh Simons, while chair of Labour Together, was given intelligence files compiled on journalists investigating the thinktank, including reports by APCO Worldwide. The files covered journalists at the Guardian and the Sunday Times and included efforts to identify their sources. Simons received a briefing on APCO’s final report, which drew findings from examination of the investigators. Simons is close to Morgan McSweeney, who previously ran Labour Together and whose role in the operation remains under scrutiny. Downing Street declined to say whether McSweeney knew about hiring APCO. Labour MPs called for an investigation and a clearout in Downing Street.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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