The defence (not sure if that's the right word - the police's side, anyway) tried to claim today that the relationships were "consensual", which speaks to their very shaky grasp of consent. If one party deliberately manipulates, lies and misrepresents themselves as part of their work, backed up by the full force of the state, and the other side believes they are in a genuine relationship, meaningful consent isn't possible.
The police side also made some very dodgy claims about needing anonymity in case of reprisals against them - fucking cheek, they are the rapists and the abusers here, not the victims.
One aspect which I hadn't thought about before is the other families of these undercover police - the women, and their kids, who had waved their husbands off to work, not knowing that they'd be cheated on and lied to, as well. Not the same issue, as presumably they knew their husbands were coppers, but still pretty grim.
Anyway, hats off (as ever) to Helen Steel, who has been pursuing this tirelessly for years. Helen, you are a fucking star. If we ever meet, coffee/pint/whatever is on me.