Josh Simons (born 24 July 1993) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Makerfield since 2024. He briefly served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital Government in 2026.
๐ Early Life and Education
Josh Simons was born on 24 July 1993. His father was Jewish and from Bury, Greater Manchester. He was educated at The Perse School in Cambridge.
At St John’s College, Cambridge, Simons read Social and Political Sciences, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts. He was an editor of the student newspapers Varsity and The Tab. He went on to complete a doctorate in Government, Political Theory and Political Science at Harvard University.
๐ผ Career Before Parliament
After graduating from Cambridge, Simons worked as a research assistant to Amartya Sen before joining the Institute for Public Policy Research in 2015. That year he became a policy adviser to Jeremy Corbyn following Corbyn’s election as Labour leader. He cited the party’s “persistent failure” to tackle antisemitism as the reason for his departure from Corbyn’s office.
Between 2018 and 2022, Simons worked for Meta as a Visiting Research Scientist in its artificial intelligence programme. In 2022 Simons became the director of the think tank Labour Together, which he led until his Parliamentary selection in 2024.
๐ณ๏ธ Parliamentary Career and Ministerial Roles
Simons was elected as MP for Makerfield at the 2024 general election. In November 2024, Simons was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), subsequently becoming a PPS for the Ministry of Justice.
In the 2025 British cabinet reshuffle, Simons was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office. On 9 January 2026 he was additionally appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
โ ๏ธ Controversies and Resignation
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. 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, stating that while he had been cleared of breaching the Ministerial Code, the allegations had become a ‘distraction’ from the government’s work. On 14 May 2026, he announced that he would be standing down from parliament, in order to allow Andy Burnham to contest the ensuing by-election.
๐ Key Facts Table
| Category | Detail | Date | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | Born 24 July 1993 | 1993 | N/A |
| Education | BA from Cambridge, PhD from Harvard | 2010s | Graduated |
| MP Election | Elected for Makerfield | 2024 | Became MP |
| Ministerial Role | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital Government | 2026 | Resigned 1 March 2026 |
| Controversy | Investigated journalists’ private affairs via Labour Together | Early 2026 | Cleared of breaching Ministerial Code |
| Resignation from Parliament | Announced standing down | 14 May 2026 | To allow Andy Burnham to contest by-election |