Keir Starmer announces investigation into Labour smear campaign alleging journalists part of Russian conspiracy

Published February 17, 2026 5:13pm ET



British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ordered an investigation into a report compiled by a Labour-aligned think tank that attempted to implicate journalists in a non-existent Russian conspiracy.

Left-wing think tank Labour Together allegedly paid $49,000 to APCO Worldwide, a U.S.-based public affairs firm, seeking to expose the “backgrounds and motivations” of reporters who wrote a damaging story about the think tank in 2023.

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