The Labour Minister, Josh Simons, is under scrutiny by the Prime Minister's ethics chief, Laurie Magnus, for allegedly commissioning a 'dossier' on British journalists. This investigation comes after claims that the think tank Labour Together, which Mr. Simons led before joining the government, hired a US lobbying firm, APCO, to dig into the personal backgrounds of journalists who exposed a significant amount of undeclared donations. The Prime Minister has referred the matter to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, and Sir Laurie will examine whether Mr. Simons misled his colleagues about the scope of APCO's work. This includes investigating whether Mr. Simons instructed APCO to look into the backgrounds of journalists, including Gabriel Pogrund of The Sunday Times, and whether he shared sensitive information with GCHQ. The controversy stems from a 2023 Sunday Times story that revealed Labour Together's failure to disclose large donations to the elections watchdog. The row has sparked calls for Mr. Simons' resignation from various political parties and MPs, especially given his role in the PM's digital ID rollout. Mr. Simons denies any wrongdoing, but the investigation could have significant implications for his position and the Labour Party's reputation.
