PRIME Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces a fresh threat as the Commons Speaker indicated backing for an inquiry into rogue faction Labour Together.

The Prime Minister’s troubles seemed far from over after Sir Lindsay Hoyle endorsed the call from leading left MP John McDonnell in Commons exchanges today.

Mr McDonnell raised reports that APCO, the firm hired by Labour Together to investigate journalists probing its law-breaking, was now seeking to destroy evidence of its work.

APCO’s report, passed on by the right-wing Labour faction to the security services, smeared journalist Paul Holden, author of the Starmer exposé book The Fraud, and others.

The scandal led to the resignation of Cabinet Office minister Josh Simons, who had commissioned the report while director of Labour Together. He remains a Labour MP.

Mr McDonnell said that APCO’s work may have extended to surveillance of MPs, a deeply triggering notion for Speaker Hoyle.

He pointed out that the investigation into Mr Simons by independent ethics adviser Laurie Magnus had not taken into account evidence submitted by Mr Holden.

Mr McDonnell said: “The NUJ parliamentary group is concerned about the smearing of journalists. We need to know what surveillance, if any, was taking place of members and for what purposes

“We call again for an independent inquiry into the role of APCO and Labour Together in this issue.”

Sir Lindsay told Mr McDonnell that “what is being alleged is very serious, and I believe that it needs to be investigated thoroughly. There may be serious security implications for this House, which I will take up via other avenues.”

His remarks will alarm No 10, which has so far brushed aside calls for a probe of Labour Together, the body which masterminded Sir Keir’s deceitful rise to power.

In addition to hounding journalists, Labour Together failed to declare its source of donations when led by Morgan McSweeney despite repeated official warnings and also funded about 100 sitting Labour MPs’ campaigns.  

The group is to rebrand and rename itself, it was announced last week.

Mr McDonnell told the Star that he could be looking for an inquiry headed by a Commons select committee.

And Mr Holden told the Star: “I have been very disturbed to read allegations that APCO staffers may have been told to delete evidence about investigations into me and my colleagues by Labour Together.

“That despicable investigation ended up finding my home address, tracing my family members, and making utterly false and highly defamatory claims about me, my colleagues and my family. 

“We were all named in reports that Josh Simons filed with the security services: in response to my factually accurate reporting on the scandalous history of Labour Together, Morgan McSweeney and Sir Keir Starmer, which has been fully vindicated. 

“It is right that the Speaker of the House has supported a full inquiry — not least because I can confirm that the Independent Ethics Adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, was not provided with evidence I sent to the Cabinet Office related to Simons in time for Sir Laurie to consider their contents. 

“This scandal is not going away, and we are only beginning to understand the full scale and depth of it.”

The fresh row comes as Sir Keir is understood to be planning a government reshuffle immediately after the May 7 elections to divert attention from the anticipated collapse in support for Labour.

He pointedly refused to guarantee that unpopular Chancellor Rachel Reeves would remain in post, and is believed to be trying to entice former deputy premier Angela Rayner to rejoin the cabinet.

It is unlikely that Ms Rayner will want to be thus transformed from possible successor to human shield for the floundering premier.

Latest predictions estimate that Labour could lose as many as 1,800 seats in next week’s elections in Scotland, Wales, London and elsewhere in England, an unprecedented setback.

Fifteen Labour MPs backed the Commons motion calling for an inquiry into whether Sir Keir misled the Commons over the handling of the Peter Mandelson affair.

Another 50 failed to vote, many but not all being political abstentions. Sir Keir prevailed with a comfortable, if reduced, majority.

Labour Together bruiser Steve Reed, the Communities Secretary, said: “There was a handful of usual suspects who did what they tend to do. I’m not too bothered about them to be honest.”

The Labour MPs who backed the motion to investigate Sir Keir are Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Mary Foy, Imran Hussein, Brian Leishman, Emma Lewell, Rebecca Long Bailey, Andy McDonald, John McDonnell, Grahame Morris, Luke Myer, Kate Osborne, Cat Smith and Nadia Whittome.

Suspended Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Karl Turner also voted for the probe.