Overview
- Darren Jones told MPs the referral followed a Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team fact‑finding exercise that has concluded and been provided to the prime minister.
- Reports say Labour Together paid APCO Worldwide £36,000 in 2023 to examine journalists, producing a 58‑page dossier with personal claims and suggested foreign‑influence links.
- Josh Simons denies wrongdoing, says APCO went beyond its remit, and maintains he was probing a suspected hack, while outlets report he passed material to NCSC/GCHQ.
- More than 20 Labour MPs have demanded an independent investigation into Labour Together’s actions, and opposition parties plus some Labour backbenchers have urged Simons to resign.
- Simons accidentally messaged a Labour MPs’ group that officials found no code breach, but No. 10 clarified the ethics team only sets out facts and that Magnus will determine any breach.