THE government’s appointment of former Labour MP John Woodcock to lead an investigation into the “extreme left and right” has been met with dismay by left-wing MPs and campaign groups.

The ousted MP, who now sits in the Lords as Lord Walney, will offer recommendations to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Announcing the review in the Telegraph, he said that the far right is a much bigger threat than the far left, but that there had been isolated incidents of left-wing causes “overstepping the mark into anti-social behaviour,” singling out climate activists Extinction Rebellion (XR).

Lord Walney has previously called the supporters of the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn “extremists” and said he was proud to have helped to stop him being “inflicted” on the nation.

Former shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon told the Star: “Reports of John Woodcock being empowered by a Conservative government to sit in judgement of the left will be seen by many as a frankly alarming and even somewhat sinister prospect, given the vitriol which he has shown towards the left in the Labour Party.”

Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott pointed out that security services have “plenty” of information on the far right and called his appointment an “attempt by government to equate violent far-right extremism” with the left through “the vitriolic anti-left John Woodcock.”

And former shadow secretary for women and equalities Dawn Butler questioned why the government has not listened to Britain’s special forces and the UN, both of which have conducted reviews into extremism.

“Instead they have asked the most unsuitable person to investigate,” she said. “This is becoming a pattern of this inept and corrupt government.”

Netpol, which monitors discriminatory policing, criticised the targeting of groups such as XR and said that “protest is not anti-social behaviour, it’s a fundamental democratic right.”

XR said in a statement: “It feels slightly absurd that yet more public money is being put into useless party-political projects rather than on the real crises we are facing.

“It’s time to stop wasting time and deflecting responsibility and get on with the job of tackling the climate crisis with the urgency it requires.”

Solidarity with the People of Turkey (Spot) called Lord Walney’s appointment “ironic” and said in a statement: “Woodcock once praised the ‘steps Turkey has taken in order to fight against extremism’ and called for more support for the state. 

“President Erdogan’s own extremist policies see a daily attack of human rights and the freedom of speech in Turkey. 

“Woodcock is an apologist for the Turkish government’s crimes against humanity, and it is clear which side he stands on between fighting for what’s right and the interests of the far right.”

In response to reports that the probe would include Unite Against Fascism (UAF), the group said it strongly rejected claims that it was violent or extremist.

“The US right, led by Trump, seeks without a shred of evidence to blame the Capitol Hill riots and insurrection on ‘antifa.’ We must reject this kind of baseless lying,” it said.