Exclusive:Cabinet Office minister investigated by own department 'dreadful look for the PM', says Scots Labour MP
Mr Simons - former director of Labour Together and now a Cabinet Office minister - faces claims that he paid PR firm Apco Worldwide to investigate journalists.
A UK Government minister being investigated by the department he works for is a “dreadful look for the Prime Minister”, a Scottish Labour MP has said.
Brian Leishman, MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said there should be an “independent inquiry” into Josh Simons over allegations that the Labour Together think tank commissioned a report which made false claims about journalists investigating the organisation.
Mr Simons - former director of Labour Together and now a Cabinet Office minister - faces claims that he paid PR firm Apco Worldwide to investigate journalists.
It came after stories about the campaign group failing to declare more than £700,000 in donations.
On Monday it was announced that the Cabinet Office would be looking into the allegations.
But Alloa and Grangemouth MP Mr Leishman said it was inappropriate for the same department where Mr Simons works to carry out the investigation.
Mr Leishman said: "There needs to be an independent inquiry because the smearing of journalists can be the death knell for people's careers. And why? Because they’re doing their jobs and highlighting the facts of a story. This strikes at the heart of democracy and freedom of the press.
"The idea of a Cabinet Office investigation into a Cabinet Office minister’s actions is a dreadful look on the PM. Investigations need to be open, transparent and independent.
"That’s not asking the world, it’s basic democracy and fairness."
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Labour Together is said to have hired Apco Worldwide, which then allegedly investigated reporters from The Sunday Times, The Guardian and other outlets to identify their sources after reports emerged about the think tank.
The PR firm’s probe is said to have resulted in a 58-page report, which included details designed to discredit reporters who had looked into campaign finance breaches by the think tank.
The think tank was fined £14,250 in September 2021 over late reporting of donations, totalling £730,000 between 2017 and 2020, after referring itself to the Electoral Commission.
Asked whether he would launch an inquiry into the accusations during a visit to a community centre in London on Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “There will be a Cabinet Office investigation into the allegations, and quite right too.
“I didn’t know anything about this investigation, and it absolutely needs to be looked into, so the Cabinet Office will be establishing the facts.”
Editors said the accusations were “profoundly concerning” and warned of a potential “chilling effect” across the industry.
“Journalists asking questions about funding, influence or public life are not adversaries to be investigated; they are carrying out a fundamental democratic duty,” Dawn Alford, chief executive of the Society of Editors, said.
“The idea that reporters could themselves become the subject of intelligence-style inquiries simply for doing their jobs is profoundly troubling and sets a dangerous precedent, regardless of which political party or organisation is involved.”
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: "Officials in the Propriety, Ethics and Constitution group will establish the facts, as has been the case under successive administrations."
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