A group of hard-left activists who staged a mass shoplifting spree to ‘give to the needy’ include a former probation officer who glued herself to the M4 during an Insulate Britain protest.
Ruth Cook, a 74-year-old grandmother from Somerset, stole food from a Morrison’s store in Exeter on Saturday morning as part of a series of coordinated stunts that also targeted Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores in Manchester, London and Truro.
Take Back Power has previously dumped manure at the Ritz and custard on the Crown Jewels to draw attention to its plea to ‘tax the super rich‘.
Ms Cook, who was filmed loading food into a box embossed with the group’s logo, is a veteran of Britain’s loony left – and in 2021 was part of a mob of Insulate Britain activists who glued themselves to the M4.
The Quaker, who founded a training company after leaving the Probation Service, said she had spent decades in the probation service ‘upholding the law’ but resorted to disruptive protests so she could ‘look her grandchildren in the eye’.
But a judge criticised the M4 protest for causing ‘huge disruption’ and gave her a six-month prison sentence. She was also told to pay £3,500 and £350 for a separate offence in 2022 that saw her spray the Home Office with paint during a Just Stop Oil protest.
Afterwards, Ms Cook said she did not intend to take part in any further law-breaking demonstrations – a vow she has now broken.
Ruth Cook, a 74-year-old grandmother from Somerset, stole food from a Morrison’s store in Exeter on Saturday
Ms Cook (second from right) was part of a group who glued herself to the M4 during an Insulate Britain protest in 2021. She is pictured with her co-defendants
Eve Middleton, 25, said she had raided a Tesco in Manchester to protest against the ‘insane inequality [corporations] are profiting from’.
A second Take Back Power member involved in last weekend’s protests is Eve Middleton, 25, who raided a Tesco in Manchester. In a video on Facebook, she said she was protesting against the ‘insane inequality [corporations] are profiting from’.
The group’s co-founder is Arthur Clifton, 25, the privately educated son of a top executive at a superyacht insurance broker.
The group has raised tens of thousands of pounds in online fundraising for its campaigns to ‘tackle economic inequality’ and impose greater taxes on the rich.
After this weekend’s protests, it wrote on social media: ‘All the food we liberated this morning was delivered to food bank donation points, to go to the people who need it most.
‘The CEO of Sainsbury’s pays himself 239 times that of an ordinary full time employee in his company.
‘The super rich don’t need a ‘magic money tree’ when they freely pick the pockets of working people every single day. It’s theft. Nothing more, nothing less.’
Although the group said activists were confronted by security staff in Exeter and London, they stated on their website that no one had been arrested so far.
When the Daily Mail contacted police, they said officers in London found that activists had paid for the food, so no offences had been committed. The group told the Daily Mail this was not true.
Ms Cook (on the right) with three other Take Back Power members at a Tesco supermarket in Exeter
The group also targeted stores in Manchester and London, as well as Truro in Cornwall
Privately educated Arthur Clifton, 25, co-founded Take Back Powe
Earlier this month, the Met arrested 15 people as part of an attempt to interrupt the group’s plans.
Britain remains in the midst of a shoplifting epidemic, with cases doubling since the pandemic.
Police closed 295,589 shoplifting cases without identifying a suspect in the year 2024-25 – the equivalent of officers shelving 34 offences an hour.
Mr Clifton co-founded Take Back Power in January this year with a pledge to carry out acts of ‘civil disobedience’ in the hope of advancing its anti-capitalist cause.
But capitalism appears to have suited him rather well, with the Londoner enjoying a wealthy upbringing courtesy of his high-flying executive father.
Michael Clifton, 58, is a boss at international insurance brokers Chaucer, which boasts of having taken $3.1 billion (£2.3 billion) in premiums in 2024.
In a huge contrast to what Take Back Power stands for, Chaucer boasts on its website of providing insurance coverage for private yachts – the preserve of the superrich – as well as other vessels such as cruise ships and tankers.
A source said: ‘Where Arthur’s dad works is in direct opposition to the aims and objectives of Take Back Power.
‘Arthur has been given a private education and a wonderful lifestyle most young people can only dream of, funded by his dad working in the same environment he claims to want to fight against.’
Take Back Power’s previous stunts include pouring custard over the Crown Jewels last year
Arthur grew up in an upmarket West London property and attended Latymer Upper School, one of the top public schools in the country where annual fees are £30,000.
Records show he was recently living in a £2 million house.
The activist was previously a member of direct action group Youth Demand. Earlier this year he was given a 12-month community order, with 120 hours of unpaid work, for causing £5,000 of criminal damage by spraying orange paint at University College London in 2023.