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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Politics
Rhiannon James

Ethics watchdog to investigate minister Josh Simons over think tank allegations

Josh Simons Darren Jones Labour Together Ethics Gorton Sir Keir Starmer House of Commons
Labour MP Josh Simons represents Makerfield in the North West (House of Commons/PA) - (House of Commons)

The Prime Minister’s ethics watchdog will investigate Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons following allegations a prominent think tank, which he ran before entering government, paid for a probe into journalists.

Labour Together is accused of paying PR firm Apco Worldwide £36,000 to look into the background of journalists in 2023, when Mr Simons was its director.

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