Ian Byrne flags Labour Together funding ties

Labour MP Ian Byrne used a May 23 post on X to question Labour Together’s funding and its links to people he described as tied to state technology work, adding to a months-long row over the Labour-aligned group’s finances and operations. Byrne said democratic politics appeared to be “managed” and called for transparency on donors and on any contractor roles recorded in public filings and contracts. The post did not itself set out new documentary evidence, but it pointed readers back toward public records that have already drawn scrutiny around Labour Together. ### What exactly did Ian Byrne do on May 23? Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, posted the criticism on X on May 23 and framed it as a demand for disclosure around Labour Together’s funding and links to government-facing technology contractors. The post is part of Byrne’s broader public criticism of the group this year. March 29 reporting in The Telegraph quoted Byrne saying the actions of Labour Together pointed to “something deeply troubling for a democratic society,” showing that his May 23 intervention followed earlier public complaints rather than starting a new dispute. (labourhub.org.uk) ### What is Labour Together in official records? Labour Together is listed at Companies House as LABOUR TOGETHER LIMITED, company number 09630980, incorporated on June 9, 2015. (theyworkforyou.com) The filing lists it as an active private company limited by guarantee without share capital, with its last accounts made up to June 30, 2025 and its next confirmation statement due by June 23, 2026. (telegraph.co.uk) Labour Together’s own website describes the organisation as a think tank founded during Labour’s years in opposition and says it now produces policy and political research. ### Why do donations keep coming up? The Electoral Commission’s public database identifies Labour Together as a “Members Association,” a regulated donee category that must report qualifying donations and loans. The Commission says regulated donees must report donations within 30 days of acceptance and that it publishes those reports monthly. (find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk) (labourtogether.uk) Electoral Commission records show one published donation entry for Labour Together worth £50,000 from William Perrin, accepted on December 18, 2023 and published on February 15, 2024. The record describes the donation as cash and names Perrin as the donor. A December 2023 Electoral Commission freedom-of-information response said the regulator had investigated Labour Together in 2021 over the late reporting of “a significant number of donations” from before 2021 and imposed penalties totalling £14,250, which it said were paid. (electoralcommission.org.uk) ### What do company filings show about who runs it? Companies House filing history shows Labour Together recorded changes to its officers and persons with significant control in late 2024. (search.electoralcommission.org.uk) The filing log lists notifications on December 10, 2024 for Sally Morgan and Jonathan Kestenbaum as persons with significant control, and earlier 2024 filings show appointments for Francesca Sainsbury Perrin and Michael Craven as directors. (electoralcommission.org.uk) Those filings do not, on their own, establish the substance of Byrne’s claim about contractor ties. They do show the corporate structure and named officeholders that are available in public records. ### What is verified and what is still unproven? Byrne’s May 23 post is verified by the public reference to his X account and fits a documented pattern of criticism from him and other Labour MPs this year. (find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk) Labour Hub reported on February 22 that Byrne, John McDonnell, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Clive Lewis were among MPs calling for an independent investigation into Labour Together. The public record also verifies that Labour Together is an active company, that it has reported donations as a members association, and that the Electoral Commission previously fined it over late reporting. What is not established by the records reviewed here is the specific factual basis for Byrne’s reference to “state-tech contractor ties,” beyond his public call for those links to be disclosed through filings and contracts. (labourhub.org.uk) June 23, 2026 is the next Companies House deadline for Labour Together’s confirmation statement, and the Electoral Commission’s donations database remains the main public source for any new reported donations involving the group. (find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk)