CLIVE SMITH: Lush's undercover cops campaign backfired spectacularly

The Lush store on Oxford Street, London, one of more than 100 of their high street cosmetic stores facing backlash for featuring a 'damaging and distasteful' campaign criticising undercover policing. Picture: PA Wire

It’s all to do with an inquiry into the tactics used by undercover officers trying to infiltrate political groups and activists.

I can see why Humphries and other officers have the hump about this. To the average person walking by it seems to accuse all police of being liars – the poster just shows a uniformed officer.

People need to visit the website to find out what it’s really all about and most people aren’t going to do this. If Lush’s marketing people didn’t know this then something is wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of occasions when the police have been in the wrong. I go to football, I see it a lot. So this isn’t a column about how hard done by the police are. But this campaign really is ill-conceived.

The shop is used by plenty of young girls, are they now going to think the police can’t be trusted?

After all the talk recently of not being afraid to come forward who are they going to go to if they feel in danger? Not the police any more.

Lush needs to stick to selling overpriced soaps and bubble bath and keep out of politics. From the fall-out on social media it seems to have backfired spectacularly.

I hope the company’s reputation takes a battering and they suffer terrible losses and in the future students use this in their projects as an example of how a disastrous PR campaign can ruin a company.

They put on this show of being an ethical company supporting minority causes to attract the tree huggers and do-gooders but at the end of the day they are just doing the same as any other business – trying to make profits.

WHERE IS COUNCIL GOING TO FIND HOMES FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE?

Two blocks of flats at Somers Town, Portsmouth, are due to be cleared of residents by spring 2019 after concerns over the safety of the concrete used to build them.

I expect this sort of thing will be happening a lot now. After Grenfell, councils can’t be too careful.

I’m sure it came as a shock to residents, the sort of shock you get when you win a few quid on the lottery.

But let’s be honest, these buildings are dumps anyway and the occupants are getting £6,100 for the inconvenience of having to move.

Now the city council has to find all these extra homes for these people at a time when we are always being old there aren’t any.

TRUMP SHOULD STAY HERE AND SHOW US HOW TO RUN A COUNTRY

Donald Trump may visit the UK next month and it’s been suggested he comes to Portsmouth for a military display.

The bores on Facebook were out in force as soon as the idea for a visit to the city was banded about.

They were going on about throwing eggs and tomatoes at him. And they’re the ones calling him an idiot.. Hmmm. I’m sure the ‘leader of the free world’ is terrified.

I hope he does come. There would be so many tears the sea level around Portsea Island would rise and the stinky protestors might get a decent wash.

He has done what he has said he was going to do before he took power. He has put America first.

We could do with him staying here and showing our weak leaders how it’s done.