Labour minister resigns over journalism smear scandal

[dutchman]

PM was told to consider ‘potential reputational damage’ of keeping Josh Simons in Cabinet Office post



A Cabinet Office minister has resigned over an alleged smear campaign against journalists by a Labour think tank.

Josh Simons was the director of Labour Together when it paid a public affairs firm to investigate the “backgrounds and motivations” of journalists researching the sources of its funding in 2023.

He left the think tank, which was central to Sir Keir Starmer’s rise to power, in 2024 and joined the Prime Minister’s Cabinet after Labour’s general election victory that year.

On Saturday, Sir Keir published an exchange of letters with Mr Simons that confirmed he had accepted the minister’s resignation.

In his investigation into the alleged smear campaign, Sir Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministerial standards, found that Mr Simons had not breached the ministerial code.

However, Sir Laurie said: “You will wish to consider, in the light of this distraction and potential reputational damage, whether he continues to hold your confidence as a member of your Government.”

In his resignation letter, Mr Simons said: “I welcome that Sir Laurie Magnus has cleared me of breaching the ministerial code. It was important to me to complete this process to prove that I behaved with integrity and that my public statements have been truthful and honest.

“Nonetheless, it is clear that my remaining in office has now become a distraction from this Government’s important work. For that reason, and with sadness and regret, I offer my resignation. It has been an honour to serve this great country.”

Mr Simons was accused of paying a PR firm £36,000 to investigate the “sourcing, funding and origins” of a Sunday Times article about Labour Together, as well as the authors of a forthcoming book by Paul Holden and Matt Taibbi.

The PR firm’s report labelled newspaper journalists who had reported on the think tank’s undeclared funding as “persons of interest” and looked into their personal, religious and political backgrounds.

The Cabinet Office’s propriety, ethics and constitution group has since launched an investigation into Labour Together.

On Saturday night, Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said: “Keir Starmer has used the conflict in the Middle East to sneak out yet another ministerial resignation.

“Another time he’s lacked the backbone to sack a minister who was obviously in the wrong. Josh Simons was in charge of a group that deliberately smeared journalists... Labour hasn’t changed.

“The think tank Labour Together has donated or provided support to over 100 Labour MPs, including many of the Cabinet. Their former staff members are in positions of influence across Government, including serving as civil servants.

“Simons has resigned, so it’s clear Labour Together is utterly finished as an organisation. Keir Starmer must tell us immediately if he will now end Labour Together’s links with his Government and return the tainted money they’ve donated.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/02/28/labour-minister-resigns-over-journalism-smear-scandal/

[rebbonk]

Took him long enough, didn't it?