[arista]

[The Labour minister Josh Simons has resigned
from the government after the Guardian revealed
that he falsely linked reporters to
a “pro-Kremlin” network in emails
to GCHQ despite having claimed
to be “surprised” and “furious” about
a PR firm’s investigation into their journalism.

Simons, who had been a Cabinet office minister,
previously ran the thinktank Labour Together.
He quit on Saturday, saying his position in
office had become “a distraction from this
government’s important work.”
The Makerfield MP had faced mounting pressure
over his role in Labour Together’s commissioning
of the lobbying and public affairs agency
APCO to investigate journalists reporting
on the thinktank’s failure to disclose
political donations.

Simons faced a formal investigation
by the prime minister’s independent adviser
on ministerial standards, Sir Laurie Magnus.
Magnus concluded that Simons
had not breached the ministerial code,
but that there was a “distraction and potential
reputational damage” in Simons remaining
in the government.

Earlier this month, the Guardian revealed
Simons had personally commissioned
and reviewed APCO’s report on journalists
looking into the group’s funding.]


https://www.theguardian.com/politics...abour-together




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