A former fascist turned informant was the driving force in stopping a far-right terrorist plot against a local Labour MP.
Matthew Collins was a former senior member of the fascist National Front. But after becoming disenfranchised with the far right, the 50-year-old switched sides and became a mole, helping imprison leading fascists.
After fleeing to Australia with the help of the Met Police's Special Branch when his cover was blown in the 1990s, he returned to run a specialist spy network at Hope not Hate - an anti-fascist group tackling the far right in the UK. Mr Collins is best known as the handler to an informant who helped dismantle a terrifying, banned far-right group, National Action, when a member plotted to assassinate West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper with a 19-inch blade.
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His story of how he worked alongside Widnes man Robbie Mullen to dismantle National Action and stop the terror plot has now been made into ITV drama The Walk In, starring Stephen Graham. Written by Oscar nominated and BAFTA multi award-winning screenwriter Jeff Pope, the drama explores issues of modern times including racism, freedom of speech and terrorism.
Following an appearance at the Hope Not Hate fringe event at this year's Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, Mr Collins gave the ECHO the inside story of how the terror plot was foiled in the nick of time.
National Action, formed in Warrington in 2013, was banned three years later under the Terrorism Act for glorifying the death of MP Jo Cox. The first far right group to be proscribed since WWII, Hope not Hate called them "a small but violent group". Mr Collins said the government and police were convinced the group had folded. But intelligence passed to Hope not Hate suggested otherwise, with the group appearing stronger than ever with a "different leader, a gym and an office" in Warrington.
Robbie Mullen was born and raised in Widnes. Speaking previously to the Mirror, he said he started reading far-right material after being excluded from school at 14 - and went to his first White Pride march in 2015. He said he was told by National Action members "Jews were running everything". He added it all "became an obsession...apart from work, that was my whole life".
Mr Collins, who had been in the same position 30 years before, told the ECHO people get involved with far right groups after they go looking for people with "social, cultural and economic similarities". He said: "I didn't like my country. I didn't like my place in the country - and I didn't like what my country had to offer me.
"And I drew a very simple conclusion that the basis of my dissatisfaction was my colour, and people of other colours were somehow responsible for stealing jobs, houses and opportunities. You find yourself looking for very simple answers to the complexities of teenage life. And I found those kinds of organisations the same way Robbie and others did.
"You bury yourself in the dark parts of society with people with like-minded fears and concerns and you find it comforting. I can't speak wholly for Robbie but he was someone who hadn't travelled a great deal, had rarely left the northwest. He was exposed to extremism on the internet. People like to paint individuals who get involved in the extreme far right as somehow being conned. But it's rarely the case - people go looking for comfort."
National Action hoped the death of Jo Cox and the devastating Manchester Arena bombing would help spark a "race war". It was around this time Mr Mullen was introduced to Jack Renshaw, a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi. Renshaw, an alleged National Action member from Skelmersdale, was a vocal white supremacist who was kicked out of Manchester Metropolitan University for propagating hate speech on campus.
As National Action's talk became more and more violent, Mr Mullen became unsure about his participation. After hearing about Hope not Hate online, Mr Mullen emailed the group - and soon after, had a response from Mr Collins, the head of research. Mr Collins told the ECHO he engaged with the National Action man to ascertain who he really was, before bringing him to London where they discussed everything happening with the far-right group.
Mr Collins told the ECHO: "The moment Robbie came to us he made it clear he didn't want to see people killed. Coming to us, he made the decision that he was separate to the others. You probably will never find friends as close as those on the far right, but you'll never find friends as dangerous either.
"He was told by National Action if someone was found passing information to the police they would be beaten. But if someone was passing information to Hope not Hate, they would be killed. He knew the risk he was taking by coming to us."
Mr Mullen started feeding information to Hope not Hate for around two months, before hearing a statement that made his blood run cold. In a National Action meeting in Warrington in July 2017, Renshaw expressed a plot to kill his local MP Rosie Cooper, as well as police Detective Constable Victoria Henderson. Speaking to the Mirror in 2019, Mr Mullen said: "Jack had a grudge against the police officer because she was investigating him.
"He didn't really have a clue who the MP Rosie Cooper was. As an MP she was seen by him as the puppet of Jews, trying to let immigrants in to weaken the white race." Mr Collins was on holiday in Portugal when he got a text message saying "call me ASAP".
Mr Collins told the ECHO: "I'd been on holiday just two or three days when I had the message from Robbie. I contacted my boss who got in contact with Rosie Cooper who had to tell her 'there is a credible threat to your life'. Counter terrorism police then got involved and they had to go and find Renshaw. He had gone missing from bail where he was meant to answer to a number of other charges.
"They eventually found Renshaw and his 19 inch gladiator sword but they needed their star witness, Robbie. We always promise to protect our sources, it's the very least we can do, but the situation had now changed. Robbie would have to give evidence.
"Instead we had to guarantee he had immunity from prosecution because being a member of the organisation has subsequently been proven to land you a substantial prison sentence. We had to get him immunity but the idea wasn't entertained for months. We almost sent ourselves bankrupt hiding Robbie. Eventually, he was granted immunity from prosecution."
Renshaw was jailed for at least 20 years in 2019 after he admitted making preparations to kill Ms Cooper and making a threat to kill police officer Detective Constable Henderson. Renshaw denied membership of National Action and a jury was discharged when they failed to reach a verdict.
He was previously jailed in June 2018 for 16 months after he groomed two underage boys online. He also received a three-year prison sentence two months earlier when he was found guilty of stirring up racial hatred after he called for the genocide of Jewish people.
Following his sentencing. Ms Cooper said: “I’d like to thank Robbie Mullen, whose information saved my life. Our way of life, our democracy and our freedoms are being attacked by the likes of Renshaw and extremist groups like National Action.”
And now the dramatic real life plot has been turned into an ITV drama - The Walk In. Mr Collins told the ECHO there wasn't much he could say ahead of the first episode, but it is "very, very realistic". He added: "ITV contacted us about turning it into a drama almost straight after the court case. Obviously, some bits have been dramatized, but it's very realistic. It's spot on with some of the things that happened."
And although he says their numbers are small and they don't pose an electoral risk, Mr Collins admits the threat of the far right remains. He told the ECHO: "They are insidious, their views are appalling. Their hatred of other races and women is extremely disturbing. Their lies and myths can spread in society but they've got very little organisational skill.
"But they are still dangerous and their desperation is serious. This indoctrination can start young so the message I would give to parents is to have a look at what their children are reading on the internet. Don't be embarrassed to contact organisations like Hope not Hate. We can help people spot the signs of violent radicalisation or violent extremism.
"We view a civilised country and they view a country of violence. We're proud of what we believe and we'll stand up for that."
The Walk In airs on ITV on October 3.
Matthew Collins' book 'The Walk In' is released on October 4 here.
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