Josh Simons resigned as a Cabinet Office minister on Saturday after controversy over allegations that a think tank he formerly led paid a PR firm to investigate journalists who had reported critically on it. Simons stepped down after the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, concluded his inquiry. Although Magnus found no breach of the Ministerial Code, he noted the "distraction and potential reputational damage" caused and said Sir Keir would "wish to consider" whether Simons still held his confidence. In a letter to the Prime Minister Simons said he had "become a distraction from this Government's important work" and had therefore resigned. Starmer accepted the decision "with sadness," placing on record the ethics adviser's clearance and thanking Simons for his service. The core of the problem is Labour Together, an influential think tank Simons ran before entering parliament at the 2024 general election. The organisation, which was pivotal to Starmer's rise and Labour's election victory, stands accused of paying PR firm APCO Worldwide £36,000 to investigate the personal, religious and political backgrounds of journalists from the Guardian and Sunday Times who had reported on its undeclared funding. The journalists were reportedly and falsely linked to pro-Russian propaganda. Simons maintained throughout that APCO was hired to probe an illegal hack, not to target reporters, and insisted he had "never sought to smear newspaper reporters." His letter stopped short of a direct apology, however, drawing criticism from commentators. The resignation is another blow for a government already marred by controversy. Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart said the Prime Minister should have sacked Simons the previous week, calling it "clear as day that he had done wrong," and demanded a full investigation into Labour Together. Labour Together's current chief executive Alison Phillips, who took over in 2025, conceded that Apco's work had been "indefensible" and pledged to restore the organisation's integrity. Simons’ successor has not yet been announced, though the position is lucrative - being sought after by many ambitious backbenchers....