Grant Shapps has reportedly quit as global development minister amid allegations of bullying in the Conservative Party.
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The Conservative party has been engulfed by allegations of bullying, sexual harassment and blackmail since the young activist, Elliott, took his life. “If they had behaved responsibly, like any other organisation, none of these events would have happened, my son would still be alive and many activists wouldn’t have been intimidated and harassed”.
Mr Johnson, who died in September, had named Mr Clarke in a letter left to his family after his death.
But the accusations that he failed to act on claims of bullying, and the allegation that those complaints were made much earlier than party officials claim they were made aware of what was happening seem to have sealed his fate.
And he said there would be a statement about Mr Shapps later on Saturday, prompting speculation that the global development minister will step down.
The Prime Minister, who is in Malta for a Commonwealth summit, said: “I feel deeply for his parents”.
Mr Johnson’s father had called on Mr Shapps, a former party co-chairman, to resign over claims he ignored repeated warnings about the actions of party youth organiser Mark Clarke. “It is not something that any parent should have to go through and I feel for them deeply”.
The Guardian newspaper published fresh claims on Friday, including allegations by Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi, that she had demanded a year ago that Clarke be punished for bullying.
The Conservative Party has said that it received no written complaints until this summer about Mr Clarke’s behaviour.
But former Conservative Party chairman Baroness Warsi has revealed she sent Mr Shapps a letter, dated January 20 this year, accusing Mr Clarke of publicly abusing her on Twitter.
Baroness Warsi said: “During my time as chairman, Mark Clarke was never involved in any initiative that I was involved in or in any campaigning”.
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Clarke has already been removed from the Conservative Party as part of the investigation into the bullying claims, and denies any wrongdoing. “Feldman, Shapps and whoever else is involved in this – clearly these senior members of the party have been telling lies”, he alleged.
