Mark Clarke: Memo warned senior Conservatives about ‘sociopathic and dangerous’ 'Tatler Tory'

Scandal: activist Mark Clarke was expelled from the Tory Party after a series of allegations, which he denies
Joseph Watts4 December 2015
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Senior Conservatives received a memo branding Tatler Tory Mark Clarke “sociopathic” and “dangerous” a month before the death of Elliott Johnson, it emerged today.

The note, written by a former Tory staffer, said a complaint about Mr Clarke made by activist Mr Johnson, who later committed suicide, was the “tip of the iceberg”.

It goes on to warn party chiefs that Mr Clarke should be kept away from young activists or they would be risking “devastating” consequences.

The Conservatives have launched an inquiry after a series of lurid bullying, sex and blackmail allegations were made against Mr Clarke. He denies any wrongdoing.

The memo, warning that Mr Clarke was “sociopathic, dangerous and a bully”, was handed to Conservative Campaign Headquarters on August 14, and so does not contradict claims by party chair Lord Feldman that he knew nothing of the allegations before then.

Mr Johnson, 21, took his own life a month later in September.

The memo reads: “In the months since the election, Conservative Future [the party’s youth wing] activists who have come across [Mr Clarke] have had one of three things happen to them: been bullied, been lied to about his involvement with CCHQ or been hit on.”

The memo adds: “I receive I don’t even know how many complaints about Mark Clarke and CCHQ’s endorsement of him.

“I feel irritated that no one is stepping up to try and protect these young activists who have just worked bloody hard helping to deliver a majority and deserve thanks — not to be shelved by CCHQ and yelled at by Mark Clarke.”

He was once tipped for a Cabinet job by Tatler magazine, but was removed from the candidates list in 2010 after complaints about his behaviour while trying to become MP for Tooting.

He succeeded in working his way back into the party machine by launching Road Trip 2015, an organisation bussing young volunteers around the country to campaign in target seats.

Ex-Tory chairman Grant Shapps, who gave Mr Clarke his backing, resigned from his frontbench job last weekend amid the scandal.

Mr Clarke was not suspended from the party until after the death of Mr Johnson.

Today the party said it could not comment while an investigation into the affair was ongoing.

The Standard understands the memo, leaked to BBC Newsnight, is the document that first sparked an internal investigation into Mr Clarke’s activities.

Its author told the BBC that party officials had responded appropriately to the memo and Elliott Johnson’s complaints.

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