Tatler Tory embroiled in bullying row after young party activist’s ‘suicide’
A FORMER Conservative election candidate and key party campaigner is at the centre of bullying claims after a young activist died.
Mark Clarke, who was once dubbed a “Tatler Tory”, and two other activists have been barred from the party conference following the death of Elliott Johnson. One of them has also been suspended from the party and is facing a disciplinary investigation.
Mr Johnson was found dead on a railway track earlier this month and his family believe he committed suicide.
His father has criticised the Conservative party for not doing enough to investigate claims of bullying and said his son had found himself in a “snake pit”.
Tory sources alleged that Mr Clarke had clashed with Mr Johnson and their relationship worsened after Mr Johnson made a formal complaint.
Mr Clarke was the losing parliamentary candidate for Tooting, south London, in the 2010 general election. He went on to set up the Road Trip 2015 campaign which organised campaign battle buses for the general election.
He is also a former chairman of the Tory youth wing, and in 2008 he was one of 10 young Conservatives to appear in a Tatler feature about the party’s rising stars.
But later that year local members in Tooting raised questions over whether he was a suitable candidate after reports an ex-girlfriend alleged he had treated her “appallingly”.
In a statement, Mr Clarke said: “I strongly refute any suggestion of bullying or harassment. I am not making any further comment about this matter. The family have asked for privacy and I respect both their wishes and the coroner’s process.”
The other activists who have been banned from this year’s Conservative conference are understood to be Andre Walker and Sam Armstrong.
Mr Johnson, who worked for the campaign group Conservative Way Forward, was found on the tracks at Sandy station in Bedfordshire on September 15. An inquest was opened on Tuesday and heard that police were investigating claims that Mr Johnson was being bullied by other Tories.
Mr Johnson is understood to have named individuals in a note left in his bedroom on the day of his death.
The Conservatives have started an internal investigation but a spokesman said it was not appropriate to comment further during the inquest.
But Mr Johnson’s father, Ray, said the party’s actions were “a little late”.