Gormley named as informer for Special Branch
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Up to 23 senior trade union leaders, including the former miners' leader Joe Gormley, helped Special Branch during the 1970s as part of a campaign to neutralise industrial militancy, a new documentary will claim this weekend.
An 18-month investigation by the BBC found evidence that the arm of the police that works with the security services operated a blacklist at Ford's Halewood plant in Liverpool and pressed senior BBC managers not to employ left-wingers.
Yesterday producers of the True Spies documentary, to be screened on Sunday on BBC2, said the three-part series would also expose Special Branch's role in defeating the miners strike in the 1980s and countering the fuel protests and the activities of animal rights extremists during the 1990s.
The programme also highlights the activities of an élite unit known as the "hairies", who worked undercover to target militants and trade unionists after the 1968 anti-Vietnam war demonstrations in London.
One was said to have become in effect deputy to Peter Hain, now the Minister for Europe, during the campaign against the South African rugby tour in 1970. Another said he posed as a Church of England vicar.
Former Special Branch officers interviewed for the programme said they targeted Jack Dromey, now a senior official at the Transport and General Workers' union, during a dispute in 1976 – which Mr Dromey described yesterday as "sinister and outrageous".
Dame Stella Rimington, former director general of MI5, told the programme: "Communist and Trotskyist organisations, by their philosophy, their published aims, would have fallen within the definition of subversion."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments