A neo-Nazi hate group linked to plots to make bombs and assassinate MPs has re-emerged under a new name and is trying to recruit students in the north and Midlands.

Counter-terrorism police say Durham, York, Leicester and Nottingham Trent universities have been targeted by National Action, a proscribed far-right group, and its successor, System Resistance Network (SRN).

Police have contacted universities across the UK to give advice on right-wing extremism on campus.

Detective Superintendent Will Chatterton, of counter-terrorism policing northwest, said: “You can ban an organisation but trying to turn people away from that violent ideology, in this case an extremist right-wing ideology, is a real challenge.

“They are extremely dangerous and refer to themselves as white jihadists. Their aim is to stir racial hatred