Josh Simons, the Labour minister and Makerfield MP, has resigned from his position as Cabinet Office minister, citing that his presence had become “a distraction from this government’s important work.” His resignation on Saturday follows mounting pressure and revelations surrounding his involvement in a controversial investigation into journalists by a PR firm, and subsequent allegations he made linking them to a “pro-Kremlin” network.

The core of the controversy stems from Simons' previous role running the thinktank Labour Together, which commissioned the lobbying and public affairs agency APCO Worldwide to investigate journalists reporting on the thinktank's failure to disclose political donations. APCO was reportedly paid at least £30,000 to look into the “sourcing, funding and origins” of reporting in 2023. Labour Together had previously been fined £14,250 in September 2021 by the Electoral Commission for late reporting of over £700,000 in donations between 2017 and 2020.

Despite initially claiming to be “surprised” and “shocked” by elements of APCO’s report—specifically regarding baseless allegations about Sunday Times journalist Gabriel Pogrund's faith, upbringing, and personal relationships—Guardian revelations uncovered a more direct involvement from Simons. He, along with his chief of staff, emailed the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) after the APCO report. In these emails, they named Pogrund and his Sunday Times colleague Harry Yorke, suggesting their story could be linked to a Russian disinformation campaign. They also sent a truncated version of the APCO report to NCSC officials and baselessly claimed freelance journalist Paul Holden, who also investigated Labour Together's funding, could be linked to “people known to be operating in a pro-Kremlin propaganda network with links to Russian intelligence.” Crucially, there is no credible evidence to support any claims that these journalists were involved in a pro-Russian campaign.

Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister’s independent adviser on ministerial standards, conducted a formal investigation into Simons' conduct. While Magnus concluded that Simons had not breached the ministerial code, he acknowledged the “distraction and potential reputational damage” if Simons remained in government. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accepted Simons' resignation “with sadness,” thanking him for his commitment and confirming that the independent adviser found no breach of the Ministerial Code, while respecting Simons' difficult decision to step aside to avoid ongoing distraction. The Sunday Times story that fueled much of the initial reporting was based on documents obtained by Paul Holden.