Minister Josh Simons Under Fire for False Journalist Allegations
Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons is at the centre of a growing scandal involving an alleged smear campaign, where he falsely connected several journalists to a hack of the Electoral Commission and Russian propaganda. This controversy has sparked mounting questions about the honesty and transparency of his public statements, as details emerge from his role at the thinktank Labour Together.
Background of the Scandal
Simons, who previously led Labour Together, faced media scrutiny in November 2023 over £730,000 in undeclared political donations. In response, he commissioned the American public affairs firm Apco to investigate the sourcing of a story published by the Sunday Times, which was based on documents from freelance journalist Paul Holden and intended for further publication by American journalist Matt Taibbi. Simons has admitted that Apco "never fully got to the bottom" of the story's origins. However, in January 2024, after receiving Apco's report, he emailed the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), falsely alleging that journalists were involved in the hack and Russian disinformation efforts.
Key Unanswered Questions
1. Why Did Simons Claim Apco Was Hired to Investigate an 'Illegal Hack'?
On 6 February, Simons tweeted flippantly that Labour Together paid Apco to determine if private information was obtained through an illegal hack. Yet, the contract with Apco made no mention of a suspected hack; instead, it specified that Apco, a reputation-management company, would provide "a body of evidence" for media use to undermine future attacks on Labour Together, for a fee of £36,000. This raises doubts about whether the investigation was genuinely focused on a hack and why such details were omitted from the contract.
2. Why Did Simons State Apco's Investigation Had 'Nothing to Do' with the Sunday Times?
In the same tweet, Simons asserted that Apco's investigation had no connection to UK journalists at outlets like the Sunday Times or Guardian. However, the contract explicitly references the Sunday Times, instructing Apco to investigate the sourcing, funding, and origins of its article, as well as works by Paul Holden and Matt Taibbi. Furthermore, Simons named Sunday Times journalists Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke in emails to the NCSC. If the investigation failed to uncover the story's sourcing, why report journalists to the NCSC, and why reference the Sunday Times if it was unrelated?
3. Why Did Simons Claim the Apco Report Only Contained Information About One Journalist?
On 11 February, a government source close to Simons stated that Labour Together never received a report with information on any journalist other than Gabriel Pogrund. However, the Apco report is understood to include details on at least three other journalists: Paul Holden, Matt Taibbi, and Andrew Murray, then of the Morning Star. Simons has not corrected this discrepancy, leading to questions about his accountability and the accuracy of his claims.
4. What Was 'Untrue' About the Guardian's Report on Simons' NCSC Emails?
On 20 February, the Guardian reported on Simons' communications with the NCSC, quoting emails exchanged with officials. A spokesperson for Simons dismissed these claims as "untrue" but declined to specify what was disputed. The Guardian has since published extracts showing that Simons and his then chief of staff, Ben Szreter, urged intelligence officials to investigate the Sunday Times story, suggesting links to a hack and Russian propaganda. They noted that Paul Holden was "living with" Jessica Murray, daughter of Andrew Murray, whom they alleged had "suspected links to Russian intelligence by MI5"—a claim Murray denies as a lie.
Aftermath and Denials
A source close to Simons argued that he approached the NCSC out of genuine concern over a possible hack, denying personal involvement in smearing journalists or falsely linking them to Russian disinformation, instead blaming errors on Apco. The source did not address accusations that Simons briefed newspapers with false allegations after the NCSC declined to investigate. Notably, the NCSC never opened an investigation, yet a law firm representing Labour Together told a newspaper in mid-February 2023 that it could not comment on donation questions due to "ongoing investigations by the UK Intelligence services," adding to the confusion and scrutiny surrounding Simons' actions.
