Tory Bullying: Pressure On PM To Sack Feldman

Pressure is growing on David Cameron to sack Tory Party Chairman Lord Feldman as it was disclosed he is a witness in the Tory bullying inquiry.

The Conservatives have outlined details of the independent investigation into the claims surrounding the death of 21-year-old activist Elliott Johnson.

The party has disclosed that 40 witnesses are giving evidence to the inquiry about bullying in the Conservative party youth wing during the RoadTrip2015 election campaign.

They include Lord Feldman, a key ally of the Prime Minister, who helped deliver election success in May.

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Elliott Johnson was found dead on railway tracks on 15 September after making a complaint that he had been bullied by RoadTrip2015 leader Mark Clarke.

In a letter written in the days before his suspected suicide, Mr Johnson named Mr Clarke - who has denied any wrong-doing.

Since his death it is reported that 25 activists have complained to Conservative Campaign Headquarters about Mr Clarke’s behaviour.

Mr Johnson's father, Ray Johnson, has said Lord Feldman must "take responsibility" over the death of his son .

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Mr Shapps resigned on Saturday claiming the "buck should stop" with him but Mr Johnson said others were involved and he would "take one pin down at a time if need be".

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has accused the Conservatives of being so desperate to win the election they "turned a blind eye" to the bullying.

A key part of the party's election strategy was bussing Tory activists into key constituencies to knock on doors and win support.

Speaking on Sky News Mr Farage said: "The whole thing is grim, it's nasty.. the truth of it is the Conservative party is ageing.. they haven't got the people they used to have, to knock on doors, to deliver leaflets ... and I think the desire to have ground troops led them to turn a blind eye to bad behaviour."

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Mr Cameron wrote a letter to Mr Clarke after the election in which he said: "We quite simply could not have done it without you."

Rebecca Ironmonger, a university student who knew Elliott Johnson and went on some of the RoadTrip2015 events, told Sky News: "It should have never got to this point.

"Elliott should not have had to commit suicide to uncover all of this. This should have happened earlier on.

"And I know that it goes deeper than this, and I know that there will be several people who were close to Mark Clarke who were working with him and were carrying out his dirty work, I suppose, who should be held at least partly responsible for Elliott's death."

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon refused to say whether he thought Lord Feldman should go and said it was "best" to wait for the inquiry outcome.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "The person directly responsible for central office, for campaigning, is the co-chairman Grant Shapps. He signed up Mark Clarke's operation; he has accepted responsibility and yesterday he resigned."

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In a statement on the inquiry released on Sunday morning, the inquiry encouraged anyone with information on the bullying scandal to get in touch.

It said: "The Party remains absolutely determined to establish the truth in relation to events surrounding the death of Elliott Johnson and the activities of Mark Clarke and others on Road Trip 2015."

The inquiry, led by a senior lawyer from the firm Clifford Chance, will "establish the facts" surrounding Mr Johnson's death.

It will investigate the allegations against Mr Clarke and whether any complaints made were handled correctly by the Conservatives.

The report, which will not be ready before the end of the year, will also recommend whether action should be taken against any individuals.