How we secretly infiltrated a far-right fight club readying for a 'race war'
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Hi, I’m a journalist working for ITV News who, for the past six months, has been undercover in one of England’s most dangerous far-right groups.
Active Club England uses boxing, MMA and fitness to recruit young people into their white supremacist group. It’s made up of people who idolise Hitler, hate Jewish people and are against anyone who isn’t white European.
To get in, I had to pass two vetting meetings, one over the phone and another in person.
It’s scary, you know. All this time, I’ve got a hidden camera on. They’re paranoid. There were times where they’d say “what if someone has a camera?” or “What if one of us is a spy?”.
You're having to laugh it off, but you're thinking, ‘God, shut up, mate’. There were times where they’d stare at me and I’d think they’ve seen the camera but in the end no one ever did.
I think the moment I realised this group was for real and dangerous was when, after one of the sessions, two of the members started talking about weapons.
After months of following these racists, it was time to expose them and their hate.
We let them know we’d been undercover and it didn’t go down too well. The members were furious. There was panic in their Telegram group and they quickly disbanded.
I’m relieved that the investigation has finished, but I’m most relieved that what we’ve found is going to be out in the open.
In response to ITV News’ investigation, Active Club England says it’s a “fraternal organisation for young Englishmen, dedicated to the development of a culture of brotherhood, physical fitness and self improvement”.
You can read and watch more from our investigation here:
Exclusive: Starmer open to sending British peacekeeping troops to Ukraine
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told ITV News he is open to sending British soldiers to Ukraine as peacekeepers.
Speaking for the first time since Donald Trump announced he and Vladimir Putin have agreed to work together "very closely" on ending the war in Ukraine, Starmer insisted Ukraine must be at the heart of peace negotiations.
Multiple complaints about Gino D'Acampo between 2018 and 2023, ITV News understands
ITV News understands complaints were made about Gino D’Acampo’s behaviour on TV productions at least six times between 2018 and 2023.
The allegations include bullying which is said to have taken place on the set of a programme broadcast on ITV.
ITV News first revealed numerous allegations of inappropriate and intimidating behaviour by celebrity chef D’Acampo last week.
Gino D’Acampo has firmly denied all allegations.
Watch our latest update on ITVX and catch up with our initial investigation here.
The toxic legacy of oil in Nigeria
Few global corporate brands are more synonymous with crude oil than Shell.
Discovering the existence of crude oil in the Niger Delta 68 years ago, its subsidiary has had a near monopoly on the extraction ever since.
But, writes ITV News International Affairs Analyst Rageh Omaar, the local communities blame the fossil fuel giant for the chronic pollution they are now suffering from.
You can catch-up with Rageh’s report from Nigeria on ITVX.
Deepfakes the latest twist in romance scamming
Anna worked on an oil rig in the North Sea, she was young and beautiful and told Nikki she had plenty of money in the bank.
Anna sent her multiple videos talking to the camera to reassure Nikki she was genuine. The pair would chat day and night and soon the requests for money began.
But the videos were fakes, using AI technology to scam Nikki out of £20,000… and now dating sites are in a digital arms race against the romance fraudsters, as ITV News Consumer Editor Chris Choi reveals on ITVX.
Can renewable energy keep up with the increasing power demands of AI?
Almost everything we do on our phones, the internet or with AI is linked back to data centres, writes ITV News Science Correspondent Martin Stew. They are huge buildings filled with rows and rows of super computers.
Some of them are so big they use the same amount of power in a year as a city the size of Cambridge – and demand is growing.
So can the expansion of renewable energy keep up with the exponentially increasing power demands of AI? Watch Martin’s report on ITVX.
Exclusive: Murders linked to taxi driver killer Clifford McKeown run into 'double figures’
Loyalist killer Clifford McKeown who gunned down a Catholic taxi driver as a "birthday gift" to a terror boss – was behind at least 10 other murders, UTV Correspondent Sharon O’Neill reported this week.
And he was a Special Branch agent for most of his time as a paramilitary.
That’s according to several well-placed sources with in-depth knowledge of the loyalist’s activities. See Sharon’s report on ITVX.
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Grieving mums taking on TikTok following online dare deaths of sons
The distraught mothers of two boys who died after doing a viral challenge on social media warned how phones brought "a billion strangers into your home".
Archie Battersbee's mum Hollie Dance, Isaac Kenevan's mum Lisa Kenevan along with the families of Julian 'Jools' Sweeney and Maia Walsh have begun legal proceedings against TikTok in the United States.
Families want to access their children’s online activity to understand the circumstances surrounding their deaths. Watch ITV News London’s Helen Keenan report on ITVX.
Shopkeeper makes 50 citizen's arrests in two years
Martin Gaunt, 62, runs the gift shop 'Happy Piranha' in Truro. He says he’s been plagued by shoplifters for years and has had enough.
He's made more than 50 citizen's arrests in the last two years as he doesn't feel supported by the police.
Mr Gaunt has also installed 12 CCTV cameras in a bid to deter thieves but says he needs “back up” from the authorities. He spoke to ITV News West Country…
What’s coming up…
Sunday February 16: Bafta film awards held in London with Conclave leading the way with 12 nominations
Monday February 17: SSAFA, the nation’s oldest Armed Forces charity, kicks off 80 day countdown to VE Day 80
Tuesday February 18: Newcastle plays host to the annual MOBO awards
Wednesday February 19: Andrew, Duke of York, turns 65
And finally… meet the 10-year-old boy who cleans graves
Ben Weldon is like most 10-year-olds. He likes football and computer games but there’s one thing that sets him apart: he cleans gravestones…
Ben, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, was inspired into action after visiting the resting place of his gran and seeing the poor state of nearby headstones.
ITV News Central went along to meet him…