Josh Simons

Joshua Cameron Simons (born 24 July 1993) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield from 2024 to 2026. A member of the Labour Party, he served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital ID from January to March 2026. In early 2026, it was reported that Simons had been responsible for investigating the private affairs of journalists who had published an article unfavourable to Labour Together, a think tank he ran. Simons was accused of naming them to British intelligence, and falsely linking them to pro-Russian propaganda. On 28 February 2026, he resigned his ministerial positions, and on 14 May 2026 announced that he would be standing down from Parliament in order to allow Andy Burnham to successfully contest the ensuing by-election. On 17 July 2026, Burnham won the Labour leadership election uncontested, becoming prime minister on 20 July.