Former Britain First leader arrested after dozens of HMO properties attacked

The former leader of Britain First has been bailed after her arrest by police investigating a series of attacks on HMO properties.

Ashlea Simon, 37, claims she was taken off an airplane, arrested and handcuffed by officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) after returning to the UK from a family holiday.

She was held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage. She denies any involvement.

Simon claims her home was raided by the police twice and she is the victim of a political “witch hunt”.

Around 50 reports of criminal damage to HMO (houses of multiple occupation) properties have been made this month across Salford, Stockport and Tameside.

Windows have been smashed and houses daubed with graffiti, including No HMO and Stop The Boats.

Simon, from Walkden, Salford, has documented the increasing number of HMOs, posting a series of videos online since the summer.

She is the leader of a group, titled, All For England, which describes itself as “pro-English” and is anti-immigration.

In a further video posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, Simon said her bail conditions, running until January next year, restrict her to a curfew and she is banned from activism, describing it as “house arrest”.

Police do not name individuals arrested unless they are charged with an offence.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police, said: “We have arrested a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage, in connection with an investigation in Salford.

“She has since been bailed pending further inquiries.”

Police have arrested and bailed seven people as they investigate the HMO attacks.

HMOs are where three or more unrelated people live.

The Government’s policy of closing hotels housing asylum seekers to “dispersal accommodation” has seen an increasing use of HMO properties, often housed in working class communities where housing is cheapest for providers.

MPs have warned of the unfair distribution of asylum seekers, some neighbourhoods housing many more than others, and rising tensions around their use.