Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Spycops' lawyer says inquiry should be wary of ‘judging 20th-century matters’ by today’s standards
Kate Wilson arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London in February for her High Court hearing over undercover police relationships

by Bethany Rielly

A LAWYER representing spycops has urged the inquiry examining the long-running scandal to be wary of the “real dangers of judging 20th-century matters” by today’s standards. 

The Undercover Policing Inquiry, which opened on Monday, is scrutinising the tactics of two secret units which, together, infiltrated over 1,000 political groups stretching back to 1968. 

Yesterday’s session focused on the Metropolitan Police’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS), which operated between 1968 and 2008, during which time officers stole the identities of dead children and duped activists into sexual relationships. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
A view of BAE Systems' Barrow-in-Furness shipyard in Cumbria, October 30, 2024
Undercover Policing Inquiry / 13 July 2026
13 July 2026
SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENT: At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis Baraa Heikal mourns over the body of his brother Fadi Heikal, killed in an Israeli strike, May 10 2026
Policing / 14 May 2026
14 May 2026

The Met Police's refusal to act against British nationals accused of war crimes in Gaza is a green light for Israel's genocide, writes CLAUDIA WEBBE

People take part in a Palestine Coalition march in central London, January 31, 2026
Gaza Solidarity / 1 February 2026
1 February 2026
A camera on top of a Live Facial Recognition (LFR) van during a demonstration of facial recognition technology by Surrey and Sussex Police at Surrey Police headquarters in Guildford, November 11, 2025
Policing / 13 November 2025
13 November 2025