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| Satvir Kaur, Junior Minster Keir Starmer's Government and Labour MP for Soutampton Test Photo: UK Parliament under licence |
by Andrew Pope, Co-Founder of Southampton Independents and Somerset Independents
Andrew says:
"We publish the following information in the public interest. It is unfortunate that this has to be done by voluntary and community journalism, as there has been no coverage by the BBC or Daily Echo, nor any other commercial outlet locally, to our knowledge. Not so far, at least. Perhaps they will up their game now."
We reported on Satvir Kaur's acceptance of £10k from convicted violent criminal Shere Sattar, and also a total of £30k more accepted by two Portsmouth Labour MPs and central Labour HQ. They claim to have given the money back to the criminal.
Satvir Kaur, Labour MP for Southampton Test, was appointed to Keir Starmer's Government in September 2025 as a Junior Minister, Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office. In the Ministerial register, it states that she was on Maternity Leave until February 2026.
Her cover, it says, was Josh Simons MP, appointed at the same time.
Before the 2024 General Election, Simons was seen as conducting a "purge" of the left-wing in Labour, as reported by the BBC's Political Editor Chris Mason.
Simons recently resigned in February 2026, according to the Manchester Evening News, amid:
"claims that a think tank he ran before entering Government, paid a PR firm at least £30,000 to look into journalists"
In his first interview since resigning, Simons now claims in a BBC interview one month after his resignation, that he was "naive" in the scandal involving journalists and a think tank called Labour Together. The think tank has been criticised widely, over a considerable period of time, and again today.
Now that she is a Minister, Kaur is required to lodge an entry in the Ministerial register, a copy of which is below:
"Satvir Kaur MP, Parliamentary Secretary
The Minister is on maternity leave until 23 February 2026. Josh Simons MP is acting as maternity cover.
6. Any other relevant interests
Trade union memberships
- Member, UNISON
Previous employment/roles
- Leader, Cabinet Member and Local Councillor, Southampton City Council (2011-2024)
7. Relevant interests of spouse, partner or close family member
- The minister’s spouse/partner is Head of External Affairs at Persimmon Homes"
The entry confirms that Kaur's husband, former Southampton Tory councillor Ben Walker, is the Head of External Affairs at Persimmon Homes.
On a recent BBC South Politics programme, Kaur stated that she was "obsessed" with new forms of construction.
In January 2025, as reported by Construction News UK, Persimmon Homes announced:
"Persimmon Homes launches model home to trial new technology"
