Tory bullying inquiry finds 13 alleged victims of Mark Clarke.

Investigation carried out by Clifford Chance also uncovers six allegations of sexual assault against ex-Tory candidate.
An investigation into bullying within Conservative party headquarters has identified 13 alleged victims of Mark Clarke, the former Tory candidate at the heart of the scandal, including six allegations of sexual assault.

The inquiry was launched three months after the death in September last year of Elliott Johnson, the Tory activist who claimed in a suicide note he had been bullied by Clarke, an election aide and failed parliamentary candidate.

The Conservative party said it would set up a hotline for complaints made by volunteers and overhaul its system for reporting complaints in the wake of the inquiry.

The findings of the investigation, conducted by the law firm Clifford Chance, found there was no written published procedure or commonly adopted practice for party members to raise a complaint.

The firm said it had identified 13 alleged victims of Clarke’s bullying between 1 January 2014 and 14 August 2015, and six specific allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour relating to Clarke were identified, including allegations that he had propositioned activists or tried to kiss them.

Clarke has previously denied all allegations of wrongdoing, including sexual harassment and bullying.

The report also reveals that Clarke was on the radar of senior Conservative party staff, including David Cameron’s spin doctor, Sir Lynton Crosby, and the then party chairman Lord Andrew Feldman. However, this was in relation to his inappropriate use of the job title “director in CCHQ” and not for bullying allegations.

Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the chairman of the Conservative party, said: “The death of Elliott Johnson was a tragedy and our thoughts remain with his family and friends.

“As we address the findings of this report I want to make clear that there can be no place for bullying behaviour in our party and we all have a responsibility to act when it occurs. The actions we are taking today will continue to ensure that volunteers, who are so vital to our party, can flourish.

“Finally, I’m grateful to Clifford Chance for the thorough and timely way in which they have conducted this investigation.”

Johnson’s father, Ray, who declined to take part in the inquiry, said: “We haven’t had a chance to read through the findings and make a complete assessment of them but we expected a whitewash and I believe that’s what we’re going to get.

“The party has recognised there are failings but they are also saying they’ve done nothing wrong.

“We decided not to take part in the Clifford Chance inquiry due to concerns that Tory HQ would be pulling the strings from behind the scenes.”

Clarke declined to be interviewed by Clifford Chance as part of the investigation, but denied the allegations included in its report when sent a summary before it was published.

His solicitor told the law firm: “Clarke has cooperated, and will continue to cooperate with the police, the coroner and any other statutory body charged with investigating any matters relating to the subject matter of Clifford Chance’s investigation on behalf of the Conservative party board.

“The police investigation into Elliott Johnson’s death and other inquiries are ongoing, and it is not appropriate to respond to allegations until the end of those processes. However, the allegations made against Mr Clarke in the Clifford Chance report are wholly untrue and unsubstantiated. Many are based on totally fabricated media reports. All these allegations are vehemently denied.”

Conservative party headquarters also received positive feedback on Clarke from volunteers and MPs, Clifford Chance said.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/aug/17/inquiry-into-tory-bullying-scandal-finds-13-alleged-victims-of-mark-clarke?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Lucy Allan and the mystery of the 'Unless you die' email : The full exchange of my emails with Lucy Allan - t...

Lucy Allan and the mystery of the 'Unless you die' email : The full exchange of my emails with Lucy Allan - t...: Following the shocking email I received from my MP Lucy Allan on Thursday evening which I reported on my blog on Friday   here  I thought i...



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Young Conservative Activist Bullied To Suicide ?

THE father of a Tory activist who killed himself after an alleged bullying campaign by more senior party members fears an internal inquiry into his death will result only in a cover-up.

Ray Johnson, whose 21-year-old son Elliott was found on the tracks at a Bedfordshire railway station in September, urged Conservative chairman Lord Feldman yesterday to send collected information to the police.

In a letter made public by the political web site The Blue Guerrilla, Mr Johnson said he was “concerned” about the internal investigation led by Prime Minister David Cameron’s fellow old Etonian Edward Legard.

The inquiry, Mr Johnson wrote, “can in no way be recognised as independent or free from party interference.

“I have no doubt that Mr Legard has the ability to conduct such inquiries, however, his appointment will raise issues of lack of independence due to his close personal connections within the party, leading to claims of complicity to cover up the issues of endemic bullying, harassment and intimidation that appears to be seen as acceptable within the party.”

At the core of the allegations lies former parliamentary candidate Mark Clarke, who is said to have “made life difficult” for Elliott.

Mr Clarke, who ran the Tory general election campaign drive RoadTrip, was named in a note left behind by Elliott before his suicide.

Mr Johnson accused the party of treating younger activists as “fodder in pursuit of electoral victory.”

And he said that Mr Clarke’s reappointment to lead RoadTrip 2020 despite the investigation showed that he had Tory friends “at a higher level.”

In his letter to Lord Feldman, Mr Johnson added that he was “shocked” to find out that other young Conservatives had been too afraid to come out with their own stories of abuse.

“That this is the case is a damning indictment against the Conservative Party, which blatantly failed in its clear ‘duty of care’ towards young people,” he wrote.

“The party’s belated attempt at an internal inquiry is too little, too late. The correct process would be to now hand the investigation and all evidence over to proper authorities, the Metropolitan Police, for a full criminal inquiry.”

Mr Clarke has denied any improper behaviour towards Mr Johnson or others.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-b720-Inquiry-into-Torys-suicide-will-cover-for-bullies,-father-fears#.VjH8mrfhDIX