Labour MP and Cambridge alumnus Josh Simons resigns over journalism smear scandal

A Labour MP and former Cambridge University student has resigned following a government inquiry into his work at the think tank Labour Together.

Josh Simons, who attended St John’s College, was accused of paying a PR firm APCO at least £30,000 pounds to discredit journalists by investigating their personal, religious and political background.

Simons allegedly gave the report to GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre in 2024, advising, falsely, that journalists had links to the Kremlin.

Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s adviser on ministerial standards, concluded there was no clear breach in standards but that Simons had brought “potential reputational damage'”to the Labour Party.

Despite the exoneration, Simons chose to resign from government and his cabinet post.

In his resignation letter, he said: “The work of reporters like Gabriel Pogrund, Harry Yorke, and Henry Dyer sustains our democracy. With rigour and objectivity, they hold those in positions of power to account.”

“What happened subsequently was wrong. Until a few weeks ago, I did not know that the journalists Harry Yorke and Henry Dyer had been labelled as ‘persons of interest’. I did not expect APCO’s report to include reprehensible material on Gabriel Pogrund, and nor did I welcome it. I took immediate action and removed it. What happened to Gabriel was a disgrace.”

Paul Holden, one of the investigative journalists who initially raised concerns about Labour Together’s funding, said: “Josh Simons doesn’t deserve to be an MP, let alone a cabinet minister”, and claimed the damage Simons did to his reputation caused him “significant distress”.

Before his career as an MP, Josh Simons studied HSPS at St John’s College Cambridge. After graduating, he went on to work for Jeremy Corbyn as a senior policy campaigner, before completing a PhD at Harvard University.

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In 2022, he became the director of the think tank Labour Together. He was elected MP for Makerfield at the 2024 general election.

Baroness Sally Morgan, Master of Fitzwilliam College and Chair of the Labour Together board, said:”The board of Labour Together has waited until the conclusion of the inquiry by Sir Laurie Magnus, the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, before making a public statement.”

“Over the past couple of weeks, the board and chief executive have been carefully reviewing all relevant material. The scope of the work carried out by APCO, commissioned by the then Director of Labour Together, was indefensible. The board was not shown the contract with APCO. Nor was the APCO report shared with the board.”

“I took over as Chair of the board in September 2024, and since that time, we have instituted several improvements to our operations following a governance review. Much has already changed, including establishing an Audit and Risk committee, a Whistleblower policy and fostering a more open and accountable culture. But we must do more. We are committed to operating at the highest standards of integrity and transparency at all times, and a forthcoming external audit will examine further possible improvements.”

“Three months ago, Alison Phillips was appointed as our new CEO, and I am delighted to have her leading us as we look to the future. Alison has already begun a radical reshaping of Labour Together to ensure it makes a clean break from the past while continuing to support Labour in power. We are determined to ensure we have an organisation which reaches out across the party with a broad base of engagement and support.”

“We are committed to supporting Labour in the run-up to the next General Election. Our mission is to help Labour deliver for the people of Britain and to develop a compelling and winning Labour programme for the next decade.”

Josh Simons, the Labour Party and APCO have been contacted for comment.

Featured image via Instagram @joshsimons4makerfield and Unsplash