Imagine a world where journalists, the very guardians of truth, become targets of scrutiny themselves. That’s exactly what’s happening in the Labour Together scandal, where a lobbyist tasked with investigating reporters is now under fire for allegedly turning the tables on a Guardian journalist. But here’s where it gets controversial: could this be a chilling attempt to silence the press, or is there more to the story than meets the eye?
Tom Harper, a senior director at the US public relations firm Apco, authored a 58-page report dissecting the journalists behind a 2023 Sunday Times exposé. The story? Undisclosed donations to Labour Together, a think tank pivotal in Keir Starmer’s rise to Labour leadership. Harper’s report, commissioned by Labour Together itself, made a bold and unsubstantiated claim: the story was based on data hacked from the Electoral Commission, allegedly linked to Russia. And this is the part most people miss: the report also delved into the personal beliefs and ideologies of the journalists and their sources, raising questions about privacy and journalistic integrity.
Now, according to the Sunday Times, Harper has set his sights on Henry Dyer, a Guardian investigations correspondent who’s been digging into the Labour Together revelations. Reports suggest Harper has been inquiring about Dyer as recently as last week, even hinting—again, without evidence—that Dyer might be part of a broader pro-Russia campaign. Apco has been contacted for comment, but the firm is already under investigation by the Public Relations and Communications Association’s standards committee for its controversial research into journalists.
The political fallout is far from over. Josh Simons, now a Cabinet Office minister, was at the helm of Labour Together when it paid Apco £36,000 to probe the ‘sourcing, funding, and origin’ of the Sunday Times story. Across the political spectrum, there are growing calls for Starmer to sack Simons, following a Guardian report that Simons accused journalists of ties to Russian intelligence. Simons is also facing a Whitehall ethics inquiry over these allegations.
Here’s where it gets even more tangled: an investigation revealed Simons falsely concluded that journalists probing Labour Together’s donations had obtained their information from a Russian hack. Simons even went as far as informing security officials that one journalist was ‘living with’ the daughter of a former adviser to Jeremy Corbyn, who was ‘suspected of links to Russian intelligence.’ These claims were made in emails sent to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of the spy agency GCHQ, in 2024. Simons’ spokesperson denies these allegations, calling them ‘untrue.’
Labour Together’s influence within the party cannot be overstated. Originally led by Morgan McSweeney, who recently stepped down as Starmer’s chief of staff amid the fallout from Peter Mandelson’s failed appointment as US ambassador, the think tank was instrumental in ousting Corbyn and reshaping the party’s leadership. McSweeney used Labour Together as a strategic tool to build a machine capable of replacing Corbyn and sidelining his allies.
The decision to commission Apco’s investigation was exposed earlier this month by Democracy for Sale. The research was prompted by a 2023 story revealing £730,000 in undeclared donations to Labour Together, which McSweeney oversaw at the time. The Electoral Commission had already fined the think tank £14,000 for failing to declare this funding.
Harper’s report focused heavily on two Sunday Times journalists and their potential sources. Ten pages were dedicated to Gabriel Pogrund, examining his faith and making unsubstantiated claims that some of his stories originated from pro-Russia actors. Interestingly, when Simons forwarded a shorter version of the report to GCHQ in 2024, the section on Pogrund was omitted.
Paul Holden, the freelance journalist who provided the Sunday Times with documents for their original report, recently shared his source materials with the Guardian. These materials suggest the story was actually based on files leaked by Labour Party whistleblowers, not a Russian hack. A spokesperson for Simons insists that Labour Together commissioned Apco to investigate the information Holden obtained, a claim that has been repeatedly emphasized.
But here’s the burning question: Is this a legitimate inquiry into journalistic ethics, or a calculated move to intimidate reporters and control the narrative? What do you think? Is this a justified investigation, or a dangerous precedent for press freedom? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below.
