Yvette Cooper wrote a newspaper column justifying the proscription of Palestine Action despite being warned by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that it could prejudice a trial of six activists, it has emerged.
The then-home secretary’s article for the Observer on 17 August 2024 said charges against the activists included a “terrorism connection” and referred to violence, intimidation and “disturbing information” about future attacks. Defence lawyers argued the piece was “an egregious example of contemptuous reporting” and sought to halt the proceedings for abuse of process.
In a pre-trial ruling last November, Mr Justice Johnson said: “It is to be taken that the home secretary was specifically advised that going ahead with the article might prejudice these proceedings, and that she went ahead anyway.” However, he ruled the article did not prejudice the trial, noting the decision to proscribe Palestine Action was “highly controversial and required public justification”.
After a retrial, four defendants – Charlotte Head, 29, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Rajwani, 21 – were convicted last week of criminal damage in relation to a break-in at an Elbit Systems UK factory near Bristol. The jury was not told about the terrorism connection allegation.
Defence lawyers also cited other articles, including a Times report that Home Office officials claimed Iran could be funding Palestine Action, which the Home Office later distanced itself from. Johnson described that claim as “misleading”. The judge ruled there was no political interference in the charging decision.
