Undercover police officers spied on Peter Hain over 25 years

Former minister tells public inquiry of staggering scale' of covert monitoring of peaceful protesters

The former cabinet minister Peter Hain has accused undercover police officers of lying in their secret reports about the campaign he and others ran against apartheid and racism.

The Labour politician told a public inquiry the officers very rarely told the truth" and exaggerated the threat of violence posed by the campaigners in what he called straight lies and pernicious smears".