‘Spy cops’ operations against leftwing groups unjustified, inquiry finds

A poster by the campaign group Police Spies Out of Lives is driven through Westminster, London. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Rex/Shutterstock

Undercover police operations to infiltrate leftwing groups in the 1970s and early 1980s were not justified and should have been rapidly closed down, a retired judge leading a public inquiry has concluded.

In a critical report published on Thursday, Sir John Mitting found that undercover police officers collected a “striking and extensive” amount of information about the personal lives of political activists, such as their holiday plans, sexuality and bank accounts.