Overview
- Josh Simons said he was stepping down because his continued presence had become a distraction from the Government’s work.
- Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s independent adviser on ministerial standards, concluded there was no breach, noting Simons accepted the PR contract’s scope was broader than he understood and that the fallout caused reputational damage.
- Coverage reports that Labour Together hired APCO Worldwide in 2023 to examine the sourcing, funding and origins of reporting on its undisclosed donations, with fees cited at roughly £30,000 to £36,000.
- Reports say a 58-page APCO dossier included deeply personal and false claims about Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund, while Simons and his spokesperson deny commissioning any targeting of reporters.
- More than 20 Labour MPs called for an independent investigation into Labour Together’s actions, and APCO says it is conducting an internal review of the project.