Boris Johnson appoints ex-Labour MP to probe ‘far-left infiltration’ of BLM and XR

John Woodcock to investigate ‘progressive extremism’ that ministers fear is fuelling violence at political protests

An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by a police officers
An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by a police officers
(Image credit: Alex McBride/Getty Images)

The government has appointed a member of the House of Lords to examine claims that far-left activists have “hijacked” the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Extinction Rebellion (XR) movements.

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  Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.