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February 06, 2026 – UK –
A controversy has erupted in UK politics after Labour Together, a think tank previously led by senior Labour figures including Morgan McSweeney and Josh Simons, paid a public relations firm to investigate journalists reporting on the organisation’s funding and links to the Labour Party. Documents seen by The Guardian and reporting by independent outlets show the think tank contracted APCO Worldwide in 2023 for at least £30,000 to examine the work and sources of reporters from major news organisations.
Labour Together, which played a significant role in supporting Keir Starmer’s leadership campaign for the Labour Party and has donated millions to the party since its inception, faced scrutiny after a 2023 Sunday Times investigation detailed hundreds of thousands of pounds in previously undeclared funding during McSweeney’s tenure as director. Documents drawn up by APCO reportedly aimed to trace the origin of that reporting and other press coverage by identifying who was behind leaks and how stories about the think tank’s finances emerged.
The APCO materials named journalists from The Guardian, The Sunday Times, Declassified UK, and other outlets as “significant persons of interest” and discussed their sources, according to The Guardian reporting. One memo reportedly suggested two possible origins of the leaked financial information: either a source within the Electoral Commission or information obtained through a cybersecurity breach. Another briefing appeared to scrutinise and seek to discredit investigative work by outlets such as Shadow World Investigations and journalists associated with that publication.
The use of a PR firm to investigate journalists has drawn sharp criticism. Opponents argue the practice is highly unusual and raises serious concerns about press freedom and the independence of journalism, particularly when employed by a politically connected organisation. Critics within and outside the Labour Party have described the revelations as troubling and potentially damaging to democratic norms.
Labour Together declined to comment on the reports, and APCO did not publicly respond to requests for clarification on its work for the think tank. The episode adds to ongoing scrutiny of McSweeney and his close associates within the party amid broader political debates over transparency, media freedom, and political influence in the UK.
Reference –
Labour think tank paid PR firm to investigate Declassified journalist
Morgan McSweeney’s Think Tank Paid £30k to Spy on Journalists
