THE STATESMAN AND THE STABLE LAD

Norman Scott, then called Norman Josiffe, was a stable hand on a farm in Devon when Jeremy

Thorpe visited there in 1960.

They talked for a bit before Thorpe gave him his card, saying, ‘If you’re ever in any trouble, come and see me at the House of Commons.’ Scott, 21, took up 32-year-old Thorpe’s offer shortly afterwards, finding himself penniless after falling out with his employer and struggling with depression.

They spent their first night together at Thorpe’s mother’s house in Surrey, and Thorpe soon set Scott up in a flat in London, giving him money and clothes. Thorpe effectively became Scott’s employer, by holding his National Insurance card and paying him a weekly allowance, collected from the House of Commons.

The affair was on-and-off for a few years, but by 1965 they were apart and Scott had moved to Ireland. He was badgering Thorpe, saying he used the insurance card to manipulate him, making it hard for him to find work. He told police about their affair, handing over copies of personal letters.

For a while, Scott worked as a model and Thorpe became a towering political figure, taking the Liberal Party leadership in 1967. But Scott, now back in England, continued to try to expose him. By 1974, Thorpe was ready to act, and £10,000 was allegedly siphoned from Liberal Party funds to hire a hitman.