Clare Muldoon has branded a Labour campaign group an ‘absolute cesspit’ over reports of a “smear campaign” against journalists.

Speaking to GB News, the broadcaster hit out at Keir Starmer’s Government and Labour Together, declaring Britons “cannot trust them or their judgement”.

According to The Sunday Times, Labour Together paid £36,000 to Apco, a US public affairs firm, to examine the “backgrounds and motivations” of reporters behind a story before the general election.

The alleged aim of such investigations was to discredit The Sunday Times’s reporting, by falsely suggesting its staff might be part of a Russian conspiracy or had relied on emails hacked by the Kremlin.

Hitting out at the Labour Government, Ms Muldoon told GB News: “Yvette Cooper was the one that said smash the gangs, right? Shabana Mahmood and Keir Starmer said one in, one ouT… I’d rather none in or out.

“But then on the front page of The Sunday Times today, Labour activists paid for a smear campaign against journalists with a US lobby based firm.

“The whole of the Labour Government is an absolute cesspit. We can’t trust them and we can’t trust their judgement.”

Taking aim at Sir Keir’s latest remarks, where he declared that he “does not want to descend into the chaos of the last Government”, she added: “And for Starmer to make comments like that in The Sun, which is a Murdoch-based News UK, typically right-leaning, is just to get at Reform because they’re running scared of Reform.”

Questioning who could replace Sir Keir as the next leader of Labour, Ms Muldoon named a few key Labour figures who may still be in the running.

She said: “More and more names will come to the forefront, like Pat McFadden, he’s been mooted as well for a long time. Angela Rayner still I think does have her hat, even though she might have taken her hat off because the other day we saw her extensively in a hair salon, let’s not forget. I wonder who paid that bill.

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“Anyway, we see a lot of things coming out now about this Labour Government and indeed how it’s going to forge forward. The next general election in the UK is supposed to be 2029.

“Now, when Starmer says that he will be the leader for that into the next election, does he mean that he will be replaced?”

Ms Muldoon continued: “We’ll have a general election, they’ll go out and then he will indeed be the next leader for the next general election, who knows? But let’s look at the virtues.

“Let’s look at the virtues of a leader, a leader that’s supposed to bring countries together, whether it be United Nations or Nato.

“Some of the virtues – Integrity, courage, justice, prudence, truth seeking. Does Keir Starmer actually have any of those? As a leader of this country, I’d say a big fat no.”

Condemning the investigation by Apco, Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy, said the report was “appalling” and a form of “harassment and intimidation” of a free press.

He told The Sunday Times: “The freedom of the press and the ability of journalists to work free from harassment and intimidation is a vital foundation of our free society.

“That anybody thought they could do this is absolutely appalling and raises further questions about the role played by Labour Together in bringing Keir Starmer to the leadership of his party.”

CEO of Labour Together Alison Phillips, who joined after the Apco report was commissioned and delivered, said: “I am committed to ensuring Labour Together aspires to the highest standards of probity at all times.

“We stand ready to support the PRCA [and other relevant governance bodies] with its review of this issue.”

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