Ex-Labour staffers now working for Israeli spy-led firm

Former staff of at least two Labour government cabinet ministers, including outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, are now working for 411 Communications, a firm led by a former Israeli intelligence officer.

Unit 2800

Oketa Zogi Shala is a former Labour Party intern who personally shadowed Keir Starmer and David Lammy. In February, she was recruited by 411 Communications. The director of 411 is Assaf Kaplan, a former Israeli spy from the infamous Unit 8200.

In 2021, the intelligence officer was hired by Labour as a “social listening and organizing manager”. Asa Winstanley reported on the tactics of his former employer:

Unit 8200 specializes in spying, hacking and encryption. It carries out blackmail [and] mass surveillance.

Unit 8200 whistleblowers confirmed that they would engage in blackmail and extortion, but Starmer was happy to hire one of their agents. Chris Mullin, a former Labour foreign office minister, said about the appointment:

I am not sure if this is a good idea. Is he still working for the Israelis or for the Labour Party?

At the 2024 conference of the Jewish Labour Movement, Kaplan spoke alongside Josh Simons at an event on “how to run a good campaign”. Simons is the former Labour Together director who generously “gave up” his parliamentary seat for newly-crowned Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Labour MP Damien Egan is another Labour figure with links to the unit. He is married to a former IOF soldier, Yossi Felberbaum, who used to recruit former Unit 8200 officers. After being exposed, Felberbaum wiped the records from his LinkedIn profile.

In the past, Unit 8200 officers have boasted about “blood on the headsets” – a reference to X’s marked on after assassinations of Palestinians.

411’s other recruits from Labour

Jonah Gregory became a 411 Junior Executive in February 2026, after having spent four months as a social media intern for the firm. In August 2025, Gregory worked as a parliamentary assistant for Labour MP Mike Tapp. Like the Unit 8200-linked Damien Egan, Tapp is a vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI).

In August 2025, Ellie Banks was made a Senior Executive at 411. Previously, she spent just over a year as Communications Officer for Labour MP Keir Mather. Mather has previously been documented as a parliamentary supporter of Labour Friends of Israel, although he does not list it on his most recent ministerial register of interests.

Mather previously worked as a researcher for ex-Health Secretary Wes Streeting. In the past, Streeting has received financial support from pro-Israeli lobbyists Trevor Chinn and Jonathan Mendelsohn. He was also the first member of Starmer’s shadow cabinet to accept a LFI-funded trip to Israel.

Before working for Mather, Ellie Banks worked for just over a year as a parliamentary intern for now Chancellor Rachel Reeves. In December, she gave the keynote speech at Labour Friends of Israel’s annual lunch. Reeves has previously received £150,000 for staffing costs from Victor Blank, who has also funded three groups linked to the Israeli military.

As well as being a major Labour Party donor, Blank is an ex-chair of Lloyds, which inexplicably “debanked” the Canary last month. According to veteran political journalist Peter Oborne, he has supported both Labour and Conservative Friends of Israel lobby groups, which “work closely” with the Israeli embassy in London.

Also in February, Molly Bibby announced that she would be joining 411 Communications as a Digital Content and Communications Officer for Labour MP Josh Simons. By the end of the same month, Simons was forced to resign from Starmer’s cabinet after revelations that he spied on journalists investigating Labour Together and Morgan McSweeney. Now, he is aiming for a dramatic comeback in Andy Burnham’s administration.

Starmer’s legacy

Failed Prime Minister Starmer has been waxing lyrical about his legacy in recent days, but his premiership saw an entrenchment of pro-Israeli lobbyists’ influence over the Labour Party.

Yesterday, Burnham offered a mealy-mouthed criticism of his party’s support for the Gaza genocide, which he still refuses to call a genocide. Burnham was congratulated by Labour Friends of Israel upon his victory in Makerfield, and has appointed ex-LFI chair James Purnell as his chief of staff. What will be more telling is if he moves against the donors and lobbyists who emboldened Starmer to act in the way he did.

Based on early indications, that seems unlikely.

Featured image via the Canary