Starmer's aides knew of journalist probe.
Investigation targeted critical journalists.
Cabinet Office is reviewing the matter.
Atlas AI
Senior advisers to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer were briefed on an investigation into journalists who reported critically on the Labour Together think tank, according to documents dated Jan. 14, 2024.
The papers indicate that Morgan McSweeney, then Starmer’s chief of staff, and Paul Ovenden, his director of political strategy, received updates on the inquiry. The case is now under review by the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team, while Starmer’s office has denied he was aware of the investigation.
The investigation was commissioned in 2023 by Josh Simons, then director of Labour Together, after he said he suspected a hack involving sensitive materials. The probe focused on journalists connected to reporting about undeclared donations to Labour Together and was carried out by Apco Worldwide, a U.S.-owned public relations firm.
Documents show Simons wrote to McSweeney and Ovenden about the work and proposed meeting with Apco representatives after the firm delivered its report. The documents were disclosed following a subject access request by Paul Holden, a journalist whose research informed the reporting that prompted scrutiny of Labour Together.
Apco report named journalists as “persons of interest”
Apco was paid more than £30,000 for its work, according to the documents. Its internal reports identified several journalists as “significant persons of interest,” including Henry Dyer and Gabriel Pogrund of The Sunday Times. The material included claims about journalists’ personal lives and alleged motivations.
According to the documents, the probe followed reporting about £740,000 in undeclared donations to Labour Together when it was previously run by McSweeney. Labour Together was fined £14,250 in September 2021, the documents say.
Simons has previously said he was “surprised and shocked” by Apco’s report and that it went beyond the terms of the contract. The documents also cite allegations in Apco’s report about some journalists’ political connections and motivations.
Resignations and official review
Simons resigned as a minister in February 2024 after details of the investigation emerged. McSweeney and Ovenden have since resigned from their Downing Street roles over separate issues, the documents say.
Starmer’s office has denied he was aware of the investigation or its findings. The Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team is reviewing the matter.
The next step will be any findings or recommendations from the Cabinet Office review, including whether further inquiry is opened into the commissioning and handling of the investigation.
