# Labour Minister Under Investigation Over Alleged Journalist Smear Campaign | #NovaraLIVE Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nq9MPEj8UI Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/7Nq9MPEj8UI Generated: 2026-02-16T20:04:14.819+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The investigation into a smear campaign allegedly authorized by current Cabinet Minister Josh Simons, then chief executive of Labour Together, against journalists digging into the group's funding, has been exposed by The Sunday Times, revealing a 58-page report codenamed 'Operation Cannon' that baselessly accused journalists of being part of a Russian campaign. **Key Points:** - Josh Simons, while chief executive of Labour Together in 2023, allegedly authorized a US PR firm, APCO, to run a smear campaign against journalists at a cost of £36,000, just after a Sunday Times investigation into Labour Together's undeclared donations. - APCO's report, 'Operation Cannon,' written by Tom Harper, sought to betray journalists Gabriel Pogrand and Harry York as part of a Russian campaign, alleging without evidence that their story's underpinning emails came from a Kremlin hack of the Electoral Commission. - The APCO report included baseless personal attacks on journalist Gabriel Pogrand, referencing his Jewish faith and suggesting his reporting was destabilizing and in the interests of Russia's strategic foreign policy objectives. - A version of the APCO report, stripped of personal claims but containing the section on the Sunday Times article, was shared with GCHQ's National Cyber Security Center, which declined to launch a full investigation, a referral Labour Together then used to discredit the journalists. - Labour MP John Macdonald expressed shock over the allegations, writing four times to the Labour Party general secretary and Keir Starmer asking for an investigation, but was referred to the complaints department, highlighting the Labour Party's initial reluctance to act. - Former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended her decision to proscribe Palestine Action as unlawful by the High Court, claiming she followed clear advice regarding risks of violence and public safety, which the court found did not meet the threshold for proscription. - The Scottish paper The National had previously broken stories in September detailing Labour Together targeting journalists Paul Holden and Andrew Feinstein with similar smear tactics, including attempts to leverage funding sources, but these reports were largely ignored by the national press. **Context:** The Novara Live episode discusses multiple recent scandals implicating figures close to Keir Starmer, focusing primarily on the alleged smear campaign orchestrated by Labour Together, a think tank instrumental in Starmer's rise to power. The discussion contrasts the recent national media coverage of the campaign targeting Sunday Times journalists with earlier, ignored reporting by The National newspaper that targeted independent journalists Paul Holden and Andrew Feinstein, and also covers former Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's defense of her controversial proscription of Palestine Action. ## Detailed Analysis The core of the broadcast focuses on the fallout from The Sunday Times investigation detailing how Josh Simons, then CEO of Labour Together, commissioned PR firm APCO to investigate journalists Gabriel Pogrand and Harry York following their exposé on Labour Together's failure to declare £730,000 in donations, an issue that previously led to an Electoral Commission fine against the group. APCO's report, 'Operation Cannon,' fabricated claims linking the journalists to a Kremlin hack and included baseless personal attacks targeting Pogrand's faith and political positions. Labour Together allegedly used a referral of this report to GCHQ (which declined to investigate) as a tool to discredit the journalists among cabinet ministers. Simons stated he was shocked by the personal claims and asked for them to be removed before the GCHQ referral. Separately, the show details how The National newspaper reported months earlier that Labour Together targeted independent journalists Paul Holden and Andrew Feinstein with similar, evidence-free reports, even exploring ways to pressure Holden's funders, suggesting a pattern of 'gangster behavior' within the organization that helped bring Starmer to power. Furthermore, the discussion analyzes Yvette Cooper's defense of proscribing Palestine Action as unlawful by the High Court, where she repeatedly deflected responsibility by claiming she acted solely on advice regarding public safety threats, a defense Kieran Andreu and Steven Methan criticize as the Labour Party's consistent 'I knew nothing' slogan. ### Labour Together Smear Campaign Allegations - Josh Simons allegedly authorized APCO to smear journalists Pogrand and York over funding exposé - APCO report 'Operation Cannon' falsely suggested Russian state involvement in the story's sourcing - APCO report included baseless personal attacks against Pogrand regarding his faith and political alignment ### Dissemination and Political Fallout - A version of the APCO report was sent to GCHQ, and Labour Together used this referral to imply Russian links to the journalists - Keir Starmer ordered an investigation but expressed 'complete confidence' in Simons, a move viewed skeptically - Labour MP John Macdonald criticized the Labour Party leadership for failing to launch an independent investigation swiftly ### Earlier Targeting of Independent Journalists - The National newspaper reported in September that Labour Together also targeted journalists Paul Holden and Andrew Feinstein with APCO reports - APCO sought leverage by pointing to Holden's funding from George Soros's Open Society Foundations and speculated on Russian links via South African intelligence history ### Media Response and Timing - The National's editor, Laura Webster, attributed the initial lack of national coverage to snobbery against independent/Scottish journalism, as the story did not initially involve Westminster lobby journalists - Pippa Quira of The Guardian contacted Holden about the GCHQ aspect before The National's report broke, suggesting some lobby journalists had prior knowledge ### Yvette Cooper and Palestine Action Ruling - High Court found Cooper's proscription of Palestine Action unlawful, ruling it disproportionate and infringing on free speech rights - Cooper defended the decision by stating she followed clear police and agency advice concerning risks to public safety, avoiding personal responsibility ### Systemic Critique of Labour Leadership - Hosts argue the repeated 'I knew nothing' defense from Starmer, Simons, and Cooper indicates a systemic problem where those close to power operate without accountability - The context is framed by other scandals involving Matthew Doyle and Peter Mandelson, suggesting Westminster is a 'cesspit' protecting the powerful.