Labour minister Josh Simons appears to have inadvertently shared details of an investigation into allegations against him with a group of Labour MPs, including assurances from a senior figure that he did not breach the ministerial code. Prime Minister Keir Starmer will reportedly ask his ethics adviser to conduct a further, expedited probe into the matter.
Investigation Details Leaked
A message, quickly deleted, sent by Simons – a Cabinet Office minister and former director of Labour Together – revealed information about the investigation. The message indicated that the Prime Minister will ask Laurie Magnus, the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, to “look into” his case, but that the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team “did find I had not broken the code.”
Simons is accused of authorizing a £36,000 payment to a PR firm to investigate the backgrounds of journalists reporting on alleged undeclared funding of Labour Together. He recently stated he was “disturbed” by unnecessary details included in the PR firm’s report regarding one journalist. Reports also indicate Simons allegedly passed information on journalists to GCHQ, falsely claiming they had links to the Kremlin.
Calls for Action
Starmer has faced pressure to remove Simons from his position from opposition parties and some within the Labour party. The Sunday Times has also called for Simons to step aside pending a full investigation. The investigation has been handled by the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team, the same department where Simons serves as a minister.
Simons was reportedly informed by Labour chief whip Jonathan Reynolds that the Cabinet Office probe found no breach of the ministerial code. However, a source familiar with the matter noted that the Cabinet Office does not ultimately determine whether the ministerial code has been breached.
The full message sent by Simons to the Labour MPs’ WhatsApp group reads: “Jonny rang. PM will ask Laurie to look into it. Aim is to move fast. But PET did find I had not broken the code.”
[Further reading: Can Bridget Phillipson avoid a Send revolt?]
Discover more from Archyworldys
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
