AN UNDERCOVER police officer admitted spying on Sir Keir Starmer while he was a barrister for two environmental campaigners fighting the McLibel case in the early 1990s, a public inquiry has heard.

The spy cop said he accessed confidential details of the legal advice the prime minister gave to Helen Steel and Dave Morris after they were sued for libel by McDonalds.

The contents of his free advice were then relayed by the spy to his managers in a covert Scotland Yard unit, the inquiry heard.

Sir Keir in his leadership bid in 2020 cited the advice he gave, describing in a video how “for 10 years he defended Helen Steel and David Morris when they were sued for libel by McDonald’s. They fought all the way and won.”

The covert monitoring of the McLibel pair, including his legal help, will now be scrutinised in the coming months at the inquiry which will also hear allegations that the legal advice was shared with McDonald’s to help the corporation win the case.