Police fury at Tories’ bully death cover-up
Dad blasts Tory ‘bullying cover-up’ They refuse cops’ evidence request
THE Tories have been accused of a cover-up after refusing to give police an internal report into claims tragic party activist Elliott Johnson, 21, was bullied before he committed suicide.
tion with Clarke in a Westminster pub. The summary of the Clifford Chance report identified 13 alleged victims of bullying by Clarke over a 20-month period, including six claims of “sexually inappropriate behaviour”.
Clarke, director of the party’s 2015 battlebus campaign, has denied wrongdoing.
A spokeswoman for British Transport Police said yesterday: “In response to your inquiry about Elliott Johnson and a report commissioned by the Conservative Party I can confirm we made requests for the report but have not yet received it.”
She said a coroner ruled Elliott’s death was suicide but police would look at any new information.
A Tory spokesman failed to explain why the party had not given the report to police. But he said: “We released as much of the report as was possible, bearing in mind that a commitment was made that the people who spoke to Clifford Chance could do so in confidence. We always said the findings would be published in a way that protected potentially vulnerable young people.”
It comes after the Electoral Commission took the Tory party to the High Court to force it to disclose documents during a separate election fraud probe. It related to Roadtrip2015 – the campaign led by Clarke where busloads of party volunteers visited marginal constituencies.
The Mirror revealed last year that more than two dozen candidates were helped by the buses but did not declare it. Failing to declare election spending is a crime and at least 14 MPs are waiting to hear if they will be charged.
Theresa May’s party was last month fined a record £70,000 by the Commission over election spending.
This shows the Tories are very secretive, determined to keep everything under wraps RAY JOHNSON DAD OF TRAGIC PARTY ACTIVIST ELLIOTT
THE Conservative party is withholding evidence from police about the death of a young party activist who claimed he was bullied.
Officials have ignored detectives’ requests for an internal report about allegations of wrongdoing related to the suicide of Elliott Johnson, 21.
Elliott’s father, Ray, accused the party of a cover-up yesterday. He said: “This is a huge amount of evidence the Tories want to keep quiet. It shows they are a very secretive party and are determined to keep everything under wraps.”
Mr Johnson said police made at least two requests for the report, compiled by law firm Clifford Chance last August.
The Tory party chairman, Patrick McLoughlin, wrote to the family last October promising he would help the police in any investigation if asked.
However, when Mr Johnson wrote back to ask why his party ignored police requests for the report, he got a curt reply stating: “I have nothing further to add to my previous letter.”
Mr Johnson said: “He should volunteer this evidence to the police as it may contain information that may be helpful in their investigations.
“We only want to know the whole truth about the events leading up to my son’s death. They seem determined to keep this truth away from us. Why?”
Elliott was found dead on railway tracks at Sandy station, Bedfordshire, on September 15, 2015.
He left three letters, one of which said Mark Clarke, a failed parliamentary candidate, had bullied him. A month before his death, Elliott also complained to Tory HQ about an alleged confronta-