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The ‘Tatler Tory’ scandal took a new twist last night after the parents of the bullied Conservative activist who killed himself vowed to boycott the party’s ‘biased’ official inquiry into the affair.
The move by Ray and Alison Johnson, whose son Elliott committed suicide in September, is a major blow to Tory chairman Lord Feldman’s hopes of avoiding the sack over the matter.
The Johnsons said they did not trust David Cameron’s claim that the inquiry by the lawyers chosen by the Tories to investigate their son’s death was ‘independent and transparent’.
As a result the family will refuse to give evidence – and they appealed to other activists bullied by Mark Clarke to give evidence to the Johnsons’ lawyers instead.
The family will refuse to give evidence – and they appealed to other activists bullied by Mark Clarke to give evidence to the Johnsons’ lawyers instead
The move by Ray and Alison Johnson, whose son Elliott committed suicide in September, is a major blow to Tory chairman Lord Feldman’s hopes of avoiding the sack over the matter
The devastating setback to embattled Lord Feldman came as it emerged the peer WAS warned of Clarke’s ‘rude, lazy and aggressive’ streak when he was put in charge of the Party’s ‘Road Trip’ Election campaign in 2014. Feldman’s fellow Tory, co-chairman Grant Shapps, read out to Feldman a damning confidential report on Clarke – and Feldman supported the decision to make Clarke ‘Road Trip’ director.
It conflicts with Feldman’s persistent claims that he was ‘wholly unaware’ of Clarke’s bullying until four months ago.
Two weeks ago Shapps was forced to resign as a Minister over the scandal – prompting claims that he was ‘scapegoated’ to save Feldman, a close friend of the Prime Minister.
Businessman Mr Johnson told The Mail on Sunday: ‘We have never accepted Lord Feldman’s position that he was “wholly unaware” of Clarke’s behaviour until August – not unless he was deaf, dumb and blind.
‘We believe Feldman and other senior officials were fully aware of Clarke’s past, but were prepared to allow him to direct the party’s campaign and risk the safety of young activists used as mere fodder to achieve electoral success.
‘As each day passes we believe it becomes clearer that Tory HQ is complicit in a cover-up to protect its chairman, regardless of the damage it has caused to its youth wing. The party has cleansed its youth wing – the question is now who will move to cleanse Tory HQ itself?’
Elliott Johnson (pictured) committed suicide in September after being bullied by Mark Clarke
Mr Johnson said he and his wife had decided to boycott the inquiry by Clifford Chance after the law firm had failed to give a satisfactory response to ‘basic questions’ – in particular its long-standing links with Tory HQ. The Johnsons’ lawyer wrote to Clifford Chance yesterday: ‘For all you have told us the Prime Minister could be a client and Lord Feldman good friends with senior partners of Clifford Chance.’
He took particular exception to the way the law firm had asked him and his wife to give evidence to the inquiry separately – ‘as though they are trying to catch us out’.
The family wanted nothing to do with the ‘so-called independent inquiry’, he added.
The Tories had framed the ‘terms of reference’, while witnesses could be ‘questioned in a manner favourable to the Conservative Party, preventing them giving full and frank answers’ through fears that it would be leaked to party chiefs.
‘We are concerned that the hands of Tory HQ will be pulling the strings from behind the scenes as their actions to date show that they are more interested in protecting the party machine and its staff than in natural justice for Elliott and other young activists.’
The Johnsons urged activists – including women who claim they were sexually abused by Clarke – to contact the Johnsons’ solicitor ‘where they will be at liberty to provide their testimony anonymously and without risk of leak’.
The family’s lawyer, Jane Deighton, of Deighton Pierce Glynn Solicitors, told Clifford Chance its ‘refusal’ to spell out its Tory links suggested the investigation was ‘neither independent nor transparent – it is simply not enough.
Accordingly Mr and Mrs Johnson will neither support nor take part,’ she wrote. ‘This is a great pity for our clients, who very much hoped for a reliable investigation.’
The Johnsons have urged Clifford Chance to inform activists to contact them so they can give evidence to the Johnsons’ lawyers instead.
‘Mr and Mrs Johnson would like them to speak to us,’ said Ms Deighton. ‘Please do so.’
The Johnsons’ doubts were echoed last night by Edward McMillan-Scott, a former Euro MP who left the Conservatives after a dispute in 2009. Mr McMillan-Scott said when he used the Freedom of Information Act in an attempt to obtain documents from the Tories relating to the fall-out from his case, they were censored by Clifford Chance.
‘Crucial sections were redacted by Clifford Chance to such an extent that I had no faith in their impartiality,’ said Mr McMillan-Scott. ‘My fear is that they will behave in a similar way with the Johnsons.’ Mr McMillan-Scott has written to Lord Pannick, the crossbench peer chosen by the Tories to monitor the Clifford Chance inquiry, to raise his concerns.
The warning to Feldman about Clarke’s ‘aggressive streak’ was made by Mr Shapps in the summer of 2014 when party chiefs discussed whether to back his ‘Road Trip’.
At a meeting with Feldman and Tory strategists Lynton Crosby and Stephen Gilbert, Shapps said an internal ‘candidates report’ on Clarke showed he was ‘arrogant, rude, lazy and aggressive’ and ‘the kind likely to settle an argument outside in the car park’. A source said: ‘Grant made it crystal clear: Clarke claimed he was a reformed character but making him a Road Trip director was a risk. Feldman and the rest all approved it.’
A Tory official said the Johnsons’ fears about the inquiry were ‘groundless’. Clarke denies any wrongdoing.
Clarke allies 'smeared rival with paedophile rumour'
Supporters of Mark Clarke spread false rumours that a senior Conservative was a paedophile to help one of his allies win the second most powerful job in the party.
Ex-Tory president Charles Heslop broke down in tears after losing out as the party’s National Convention chairman to Rob Semple in July.
Mr Heslop’s supporters claim that the vote was ‘rigged’ after Clarke’s allies ran a dirty tricks campaign against him and bullied activists into voting for Mr Semple.
Mr Semple was strongly backed by outgoing National Convention chairman Baroness Pidding, who championed Clarke’s controversial ‘Road Trip’ campaign, where young activists were allegedly sexually abused and bullied by Clarke.
A source close to Mr Heslop, a businessman and amateur actor who is openly gay, said: ‘Clarke’s supporters spread vile and totally baseless rumours about him and young boys, that he was “anti women”, and it would all come out and damage the party if he won.
‘Charles was so hurt he collapsed in tears when the result was announced. At the same event he had to sit and watch as David Cameron lauded Clarke publicly – when Charles knew what Clarke had done to him. It was disgusting.’
Top jobs: Charles Heslop (left), Rob Semple (second from left) Baroness Emma Pidding (second from right) and Prime Minister David Cameron
One activist told The Mail on Sunday that Clarke’s henchman, Andre Walker, smeared Mr Heslop: ‘Andre knew I was backing Charles and said to me, “I’ve been checking stories about Charles and young boys…” It was disgraceful.’
Walker helped Clarke bully Tory suicide victim Elliott Johnson.
The National Convention chairman is head of the Conservative Party’s voluntary wing, and effectively its second most powerful figure, with a say over Parliamentary candidates. Clarke has been obsessed with getting on the list since he lost in disgrace as Tory candidate in Tooting, South London, at the 2010 General Election.
Well-placed sources say Mr Semple’s election was ‘rigged’ after Clarke used his power over Conservative Future, the party’s youth wing, to cast its block vote in favour of Mr Semple.
Clarke sent a social media message to a CF delegate supporter of Mr Heslop in his North East heartland, saying: ‘Smile sweetly. Be quietly supportive of Charles like a good north east lad should be. Then quietly do the right thing for the party.’
A female activist also claims Clarke threatened her during the contest. ‘He told me to declare my support for Rob Semple,’ she said. ‘When I refused he said, “If you don’t you will find out what it is like to be in opposition in North Korea.” I ignored it.’
Mr Heslop’s supporters alleged former CF chairman Clarke used his influence to ensure that all 40 CF delegates were supporters of Mr Semple. It is claimed that one senior CF figure was banned from voting because he made it clear he did not back Mr Semple.
One Tory official said: ‘The National Convention was rigged by Clarke’s mob directly under Lord Feldman’s nose and should be re-run. Everyone knew that it was going on, but – like everything else Clarke and co got up to – no one lifted a finger.’
As National Convention chairman, Mr Semple is deputy chairman of the Conservative Board overseeing the inquiry by law firm Clifford Chance into the ‘Tatler Tory’ scandal.
There is no suggestion by The Mail on Sunday that Clarke, Mr Semple or Baroness Pidding had anything to do with the paedophile smears.
Mr Walker last night denied spreading false rumours about Mr Heslop.
Top Tory turns on 'goon' he mentored
Mark Clarke’s former Tory ‘mentor’ last night rejected claims that he was in charge of a sinister ‘Tory entryist’ group similar to Momentum, the Left-wing pro-Jeremy Corbyn organisation.
Donal Blaney, chairman of the Young Britons’ Foundation, where Clarke plotted attacks on Conservative foes, compared Clarke’s influence to ‘a rotting fish sewn into the curtains’.
Mr Blaney spoke out after senior Tory MP Charles Walker criticised YBF, which was set up to train would-be politicians. It has also been described as a ‘Tory madrasa’.
Mr Walker, a member of the Tory board overseeing the party’s inquiry into the Clarke scandal, said: ‘We have seen the damage entryism has done to Labour with organisations like Momentum and we must stop it happening to the Conservatives. I’m deeply concerned at the prevalence of YBF activists in our party. Our links with groups like this must be reviewed.’
Donal Blaney (right), chairman of the Young Britons’ Foundation, where Clarke plotted attacks on Conservative foes, compared Clarke’s (left) influence to ‘a rotting fish sewn into the curtains’
But lawyer Mr Blaney, who runs the Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward group, where Elliott Johnson worked shortly before he killed himself, attacked Clarke – and claimed the Tories were trying to scapegoat YBF for Elliott’s death.
He said: ‘I feel like a landlord who has allowed a tenant to stay in a buy-to-let for too long.
‘They’ve finally gone – and now I’ve found dead bodies under the floorboards, rotting fish sewn into the curtains, and s**t smeared over the walls.’
And he accused Clarke of ‘exploiting my name, my contacts, my reputation, my generosity and my business. He groomed and manipulated me and I feel a fool for not seeing what he was doing.’
Mr Blaney denied Clarke learned to smear opponents in YBF. ‘We make it plain that personal stuff is strictly off-limits,’ he said.
And he said Clarke was a ‘goon’ who modelled himself on Malcolm Tucker, the political spin doctor in TV series The Thick Of It, played by Peter Capaldi.
‘The only people to blame for the behaviour of Clarke and his acolytes are they themselves,’ he added.
‘People should take responsibility for their own actions. I am. So should Clarke, Lord Feldman and everyone else.’
Friends of Mr Blaney fear the scandal – which grew out of a feud between Mr Blaney and Clarke after the Election – will destroy YBF and CWF.