Labour Minister Faces Sacking Calls Over False Kremlin Claims Against Journalists
Politicians from across the political spectrum are demanding the sacking of a Cabinet Office minister following a Guardian investigation revealing he falsely linked journalists to a pro-Kremlin network in communications with intelligence agencies. The controversy centres on Josh Simons, who was running the Labour Together thinktank at the time of the accusations in early 2024.
Cross-Party Condemnation and Calls for Resignation
The revelation has intensified pressure on Simons, who is already subject to a departmental ethics inquiry. Kevin Hollinrake, chair of the Conservative party, stated Simons should be suspended immediately, arguing that the Cabinet Office cannot be left to mark its own homework. He emphasised the urgency, noting Simons holds ministerial responsibility for inquiries and whistleblowing across government.
Labour backbencher Jon Trickett called for Simons to be dismissed by Keir Starmer, comparing the behaviour to the dirty tricks of Richard Nixon's White House during Watergate and labelling it serious misconduct. Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrats' Cabinet Office spokesperson, urged Simons to consider his position, criticising the government's failure to live up to promises of cleanliness amid spin tactics involving reporting journalists to intelligence agencies.
False Accusations and Misleading Emails to GCHQ
Emails written in January and February 2024 by Simons and a subordinate to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a unit of GCHQ, show he pressed officials to investigate journalists. Simons claimed one journalist was living with the daughter of a former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn, whom he alleged was suspected of links to Russian intelligence. This was part of an effort to probe the sourcing of a Sunday Times story about Labour Together's failure to disclose political donations.
However, the information was not obtained via a hack, and evidence of Russian involvement was nonexistent. One individual named in the emails accused Simons of orchestrating a McCarthyite smear campaign, while another described the false accusation as disturbing, creepy and deplorable.
Background: The Sunday Times Story and Apco Investigation
Earlier this month, it emerged that Simons had commissioned Apco, an American public affairs agency, to investigate two Sunday Times journalists and their sources for a 2023 story critical of Labour Together. The story revealed fresh details about £730,000 of undeclared donations to the thinktank, then run by Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's former chief adviser. The Electoral Commission had fined Labour Together over £14,000 for failing to declare these donations.
After Apco's report, Simons concluded the information came from a hack of the Electoral Commission. In early 2024, he told the NCSC that our evidence showed it had been disseminated to people known to be operating in a pro-Kremlin propaganda network with links to Russian intelligence. His chief of staff at Labour Together echoed this, suggesting the likeliest culprit was the Russian state, or proxies of the Russian state.
Contradictory Evidence and Cybersecurity Realities
Contrary to Simons' claims, Paul Holden, a freelance journalist who provided documents for the Sunday Times report, recently showed the Guardian his source materials. These indicate the story was based on files leaked from the Labour party by whistleblowers, not a hack.
Moreover, at the time of Simons' correspondence, the NCSC had already concluded there had been a hack of the Electoral Commission, but it was conducted by China, not Russia. The stolen data consisted of electoral records, not regulatory correspondence related to Labour Together.
A spokesperson for Josh Simons stated: Labour Together commissioned Apco to investigate the information Paul Holden obtained for his book, as has repeatedly been made clear. The ongoing fallout highlights significant concerns over ministerial conduct and the integrity of government inquiries.
