Undercover Policing Inquiry – where are we now?

Background to UCPI

The Undercover Policing Inquiry (UCPI) was established in 2015 to get to the truth about undercover policing in England and Wales between 1968 and 2007. It was set up in response to a review by Mark Ellison KC which identified ‘appalling practices in undercover policing’.

Hearings for the UCPI began in November 2020 and are divided into five tranches. The Inquiry is currently progressing through Tranche 3, which examines the deployment of Special Demonstration Squad officers from 1993-2007. This includes the management & oversight of the undercover officers by senior officers, other agencies and government departments.

Tranche 3 (“T3”) is further split into three phases: Phase 1, Phase 2 and Phase 3.

What happened in T3 Phase 1

The hearings for Phase 1 were held between October and December 2025. The Inquiry heard evidence about the infiltration, by undercover officers, of family justice campaigns including those arising from the deaths of Stephen Lawrence, Ricky Reel and Michael Menson. Hodge Jones & Allen represent Dr Neville Lawrence, Sukhdev and Tish Reel, and the family of Michael Menson.

What happened in T3 Phase 2

Phase 2 took place in February and March 2026. It focused on the infiltration of social and environmental campaigns. The evidence included testimony from Hodge Jones & Allen clients about the infiltration of the International Solidarity Movement (“ISM”) London and Reclaim the Streets. An overview of Tranche 3 Phase 2 hearings can be located here.

What’s next – T3 Phase 3

The evidence for Phase 3 is due to commence on 15 June 2026 and will conclude later in the summer. This phase will hear evidence from SDS managers and senior officers in the chain of command including Lord Paul Condon, the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. The Inquiry will consider the extent of management knowledge and endorsement of undercover officer conduct, including the gathering of intelligence on family justice campaigns, involvement in sexual relationships, participation in criminal activity and miscarriages of justice. This phase will also explore the extent to which this knowledge extended to government departments and the Security Services.

Beyond Phase 3

There will be ‘closed’ hearings in Autumn 2026, concerning fully anonymised officers whose evidence will not be heard in public. Oral closing statements will be made in February 2027 and an interim report, including findings on key issues and any resulting recommendations, is expected later that year. The Inquiry Chairman Sir John Mitting will retire after the publication of this report, with a new Chair yet to be announced.

Hodge Jones & Allen represent over a hundred Core Participants in the Undercover Policing Inquiry. The legal team is headed by Mike Schwarz, Susie Labinjoh, Cormac McDonough, Aneka Thirurajah and Ailsa McNeil.